Why I Won't Stick To Sports: Emma Corwin
Athletics builds values which extend beyond the field of play
Emma Corwin
Why I Won’t Stick to Sports is a first-person series written by Colorado State student-athletes. Nationally, athletes are told to “stick to sports”, but as members of the community, they have ideas, motivations and a passion for creating meaningful change in the world. Their talents and knowledge are not limited to fields of play. In their own words, this is why our student-athletes will not stick to sports.
The year 2020 has been catastrophic on so many fronts for so many people and for so many reasons. While it has forced numerous hardships, loss and fear, it has also presented opportunities for both personal and public growth.
For myself and the rest of my Division I Athletic peers, we lost our sport and our center of purpose. At the time when the pandemic hit our nation and ground everything to a halt, my tennis team was about to embark upon our spring conference season. Instead, tennis courts were locked, nets were taken down. One day I was anticipating our weekend match, the next I was told our season was over. I had been training all year only to have my goals stripped from me. I felt lost. Looking back on this experience, however, I believe that this moment has led me to a place I may not have reached had I only focused on my season.
Prior to 2020, I may have feared life beyond tennis. Everyone says the transition from college athletics into a life without your sport is a tough one. Athletes define themselves by their skill. They are their sport. I usually introduced myself to strangers as narrowly as “I am a student-athlete.” But I have had time to discover that I am so much more. I am a leader. I am empathetic. I am engaged. I am an artist. I am a student. And, of course, I love tennis.
Tennis has been a great teacher. It has taught me hard work. It has brought me my mentors and closest friends. It has shown me how to build on small victories and believe in my strength. But most importantly, tennis has taught me how to lose. I can give it all I’ve got and come up short and know that I need to keep working. These things are what make me who I am. They do not stay within the confines of the tennis court. While I have tennis to thank for sculpting my values and helping me discover who I am, I am so much more than my sport.
During the shutdown, I have focused on some of the massive moments gripping our nation. I have seen social media evolve from a platform for self-expression to a resource for spreading information and knowledge. I’ve seen good and I’ve seen a lot of bad. I’ve been informed about microaggressions I have never known were in myself and in the systems with which I operate. Empathy has always been a strength of mine, but empathy can only go as far as what you know to recognize. I have had to learn. And I will dedicate myself to continuing to learn.
I am studying graphic design at CSU and one of our major focuses is on user experience and understanding who is using our products and how best to design for them. In my studies, I have found that there are systems of our government that are not well designed. We do not live in a country that considers all of our “users”. We speak about “liberty and justice for all” but “all” are not being considered.
As I have said, tennis has taught me how to lose and get back up. This social movement often feels like a loss. I am here to keep it moving. I will not give up. I will use my resources and my privilege to be an accomplice. I will be good to people.
Emma Corwin is a senior on the tennis team and the secretary of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council who has earned academic All-Mountain West and Mountain West Scholar-Athlete honors. She was a nominee for the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Junior Award and traveled with CSU Green and Global to Costa Rica for a learning and service trip. She is currently painting a mural in the business department on campus.