What I Miss Most: Building My Relationships
Freshman swimmer misses her lost time
Hannah Sykes
In their own words, Colorado State student-athletes share what they miss as the coronavirus pandemic has put life on hold globally
I miss the people. I miss living with my best friends. I miss every single one of my amazing teammates.
I miss my coaches. I miss my professors. I miss meeting so many cool new people. And I’m not sure how, but I really do miss waking up at 5 a.m. to practice with the best people I know every day.
This whole thing has taught me not to take a second of it for granted.
It doesn’t matter how self-motivated of a person you are, there’s nothing like your team. The way my team pushes me and motivates me to be better; not just in the pool, but in the classroom and community as well, can’t be replicated. It’s reassuring to know all those people are still there, in some cases thousands of miles away, it’s just different when I’m not getting to spend every waking moment with them.
I miss everyone making fun of the fact that I’m “ALWAYS SMILING.” It’s true, but it’s just because CSU is that amazing.
I miss everyone making fun of the fact that I’m “ALWAYS SMILING.” It’s true, but it’s just because CSU is that amazing. I miss not being able to spend time with my friends. That being said, I miss all of the fun memories we made. From hiking Horsetooth and sharing dinner in the dining hall after a grueling practice, laughing about everything that happened that day, or crying over Organic Chemistry. To having movie marathons on snowy days and watching every episode of The Bachelor together, there’s not much better than the time I get to spend with those girls. There’s also just something about knowing when I come back to the dorm after a long, hard day, that someone is gonna be there to talk to and have fun with.
Not only do I miss my teammates, I miss my TEAM. Meaning, I miss Coach Lisa Ginder, who finds a way to get us to celebrate every day by always telling us that it’s “national (fill-in the blank) day”; things like telling us its “bubble-wrap appreciation day.” Lisa has a way of making every practice fun. Definitely not always what we’re doing is fun, but fun in terms of the positive environment she is able to create.
I miss Woody Woodard always finding a way to get me fired up. He has a way, somehow of making my dreams seem so achievable, and he’s always there to support my goals both in and out of the pool.
I miss Kelsey Zachman, our weights coach, who took me from feeling so out of place in the weight room, to making it feeling like my second home. And Mike DeLuca, our athletic trainer for always making me laugh and helping me get through some tough injuries and ailments this year. Also for always being willing to call my mom to reassure her, I was indeed, going to survive.
All in all, having to leave so soon has put a lot into perspective for me. The fact that I get to be at the greatest school, in the greatest place I can think of, with so many amazing people, that’s something that’s unlike anything I’ve ever gotten to experience. I am so fortunate to have so many amazing people in my life at CSU, and they are what I miss the most.