Our experience with DS mirrors these, mostly. Last night I was on a flight with several different D3 sports teams, including my son's (which wasn't planned; I guess whoever booked the team's flights likes a bargain, too!) while I was reading some of these posts. I felt sad looking at how nice these fine athletes looked, how well-behaved they were, and how committed I know they are, knowing that some are disparaging their choices; but proud of them, on the other hand, as they are, often with great difficulty, managing to keep many balls in the air (pun intended) simply for making themselves, their schools and their families proud. I believe these hard fought skills and relationships will transfer very well into the real world when they graduate, in whatever fields they choose.
It is a privilege to be part of such a special cameraderie in college, without question. My DS loves it, and has always loved playing and being part of a team. Every year we asked him if he still wanted to play and every year he looked at us like we had three heads even asking the question. He is another who played where he was supposed to play without any holding back or whatever. There was no need for that, and it wasn't something I saw anyone I know do. Nor did I ever see any "signings" for D3, just for D1 and D2.
Some think that D3 teams aren't worth much. Let me tell you, these athletes work super hard not only on keeping themselves in shape with nutrition and workouts, but they must keep up their grades, and volunteerism is required by the NCAA, as well, so they are working very hard, year round, for little to no financial incentive in many cases. They do it for the love of the game and for the benefits that come with being part of a team. As lovin'fl has said, it's hard to party all night and think you're going to get up the next day and be able to perform well. Naturally, some are able to party a bit. But there is an incentive there that comes with everyone being in the best shape they can for the good of the team, and most want to adhere to that, or they wouldn't last long on the team. (At least in DS's team's case.) Captains keep players in line, everything must go through them, and coaches continually evaluate players even when they get to the team, so staying on a team is never guaranteed, it's something that has to be earned. This is ongoing. From observing my DS's behavior, players do not want to disappoint or do what they're not supposed to do. On a road trip we are able to go out with DS a bit, for instance, but the entire time he is cognizant of what time he had to be back in order to make curfew. The difference in how DS "is" on vacation with just us, and how he "is" on a tournament trip with his team, is quite different, even though many families come down to watch games and such. Obligations to the team come first, as it should be. But I see a lot of teams coming off the fields and around our same areas, and they almost always look the same - exhausted, but proud, and mostly pretty happy (with the exception, maybe, of after a tough loss).