Teammates

        During my time as an athlete these past four years, I have had 47 teammates. As you can probably imagine, there have been plenty of different personalities throughout this journey. It is hard to believe that I have had that many teammates. Time really does fly when you are having fun. While some were only around for a season or two, I have had 2 teammates who have been here throughout my whole journey. We have been through a lot in our four years at SUU and I would not trade our friendship for anything.

SUU Softball team spring 2015 

SUU Softball team spring 2016 

SUU Softball team spring 2017 

SUU Softball team fall 2017 

                    It really stinks to think about leaving my softball family behind when this season is over. I am excited to move on to my next chapter in life, but will find it difficult to let go of something I have been connected to for so long. Thinking about not seeing my teammates early in the morning at weights, walking around during the day on campus, at practice everyday, and at team functions is a very unfamiliar thought. The thought that some day we will all being moving in different directions, living different lifestyles, and not seeing each other everyday is strange. 

      During my time here in Utah, I have been roommates with one of my best friends and teammates. She and I have become like sisters, fighting and loving each other unconditionally.  We love to host team dinners and invite our friends over. Being roommates with my teammate and best friend allows us to have a great connection on the field. During practice, we can motivate each other in a different way than our other teammates can. We have a special and weird bond that includes knowing exactly what the other is thinking, using our own special language, and other nonverbal cues.

     These upcoming months are exciting because it will be season, but I am not looking forward to the end. My roommate is from California and I live in Arizona. Thinking that I will not be able to see her every day will become an awful reality. We won't be able to carpool to weights and come home and pig out after. We won't be able to sit and gossip for hours after practice. I will miss our car karaoke sessions and late night snack runs. There are so many things that we won't be able to do anymore. I know we will stay in touch. I will see her at alumni events and we will plan time during vacation periods to cross paths. It just won't be the same. 

     You know when you leave for college for the first time and it is difficult to say bye to all of your high school friends? It sucked right? You come home for school breaks and your friends now live in other places. They are busy working or have grown into different people that you do not talk to anymore. I am afraid of my teammates becoming strangers in the future. As a team, we have been through a lot. From the start of my freshman year, to my last season as a senior, every year has had its baggage. Now as seniors, we have grown from immature 18 year-olds at the bottom of the food chain to respected 21 year-old leaders.

Fall 2016 

    In the next couple of months we will spend the majority of our time as a unit. We will practice several days a week, we will have weights in the morning, and then we will hit the road to play games. I will be forever grateful for the memories I have and those I am about to make with my team. Being on a team is an instant sisterhood. The first day you walk on campus as a freshman, you instantly have 20 friends by your side. We may all be different and may not get along all of the time, but at the end we are one team with one goal. I am sad to think about what is ahead, but all good things must come to an end at sometime and there is no one I would rather do it with than my t-birds.