[KathieK]

Making the transition from student on the team to mentor is not an easy one. Your fellow mentors need to make the adjustment and your younger peers must also. Many teams require that their college-aged mentors stay away for a year or two until they have made a break from the team and have adjusted to their lives post-high school. Some teams do not allow it at all. RAGE was really fortunate this year - we had five college-aged mentors on the team (who justifiably at one point asked us to refer to them as "adult mentors" like the rest of us); three alumni, one from another area team, and one who was not on the team at all during high school. I'll admit many of the returning adult mentors had some doubts at the beginning of the season that they would be able to make that adjustment, but in retrospect, their assistance and committment was invaluable to our team this year. I hope it works out for you!