Countless classes, instructors and students have affected our lives here at Harvard, molding what would become our college experience.

And although we have all shared many of the same experiences in our four years in Cambridge, one aspect of college life that you many have missed proved to be one of my most cherished: athletics.

I am not a varsity athlete. My athletic career encompasses only my weekend warrior outings to the Malkin Athletic Center and various intramural sports. The college as a whole, however, is home to over 1,000 varsity athletes competing in 41 different sports--most of any school in the country.

And while it may be true that the competition level of many big-name sports here are not up to par with those among the nation's elite, in my four years, Harvard athletes have provided numerous memorable moments on the field of play. Well, at least for those who cared to watch.

Whether there as a reporter or as a spectator, I have been one of the select few present to witness the heroics of many of our hard-working classmates, often referred to as "jocks."

Jock. The word is all fine and good, but at Harvard it often takes on a negative connotation with which we are all familiar, and surprisingly not all too ashamed to use.

Nonetheless, I'll remember the performances of our remarkable jocks who balanced a Harvard schedule with a rigorous, year-round physical regimen, producing countless sports memories for less-than-supportive fans.

Last year, the women's hockey team brought a national title to Harvard after an exceptional 27-1-1 season. But despite dominating throughout the season and maintaining the No.1 ranking nearly all year, one would find more families from the neighborhood at the games than Harvard students.

The Harvard baseball team won the Ivy Crown in two of our four years, reaching NCAA postseason play, but by the looks of the crowd at O'Donnell field, it seems unlikely that anyone actually knew about it.

The women's soccer team has also been spectacular in our tenure here, winning three Ivy championships and finishing No. 9 in the country this season. But again, aside from a few games, the stands were filled with only friends and family.

Fewer still had the pleasure of watching the nation's best collegiate tennis player last year, the now-departed--and current professional player--James Blake '01, who wowed the sparse Crimson crowds en route to winning two NCAA grand slam events and finishing with the No. 1 ranking.

In fact, aside from The Game--which one can argue is never actually seen by an undergraduate anyway--athletics is largely ignored by the majority of Harvard students.

At Harvard, especially, it is often easy to forget that there are worthwhile pursuits outside of academics.

And many here, I'm sure, have noticed that there is a tendency to dismiss all that is not done in the pursuit of "higher learning." In other words, at Harvard, sports are deemed unimportant, uninteresting and, at best, meaningless.

Sure, in the end does it really matter much if the hockey team beats Cornell? No. But, honestly, it matters about as much as doing all of the problems on your physics problem set.