What I Miss Most: The Routine of Challenges
Women's tennis player misses the daily push of college
Emily Luetschwager
In their own words, Colorado State student-athletes share what they miss as the coronavirus pandemic has put life on hold globally
It has been a few weeks since my season came to an unanticipated, screeching halt.
My entire life schedule for the next few months went from structured practices, class and competitions to uncertainty and emptiness. Days filled with hustle, sweat and comradery now consist of trying to find activities to fill that void. When I think about what I miss most, I really just think it is the routine of it all. The daily grind of balancing practices, class, homework, meetings and whatever else that day had in store is the part of being a student-athlete that seems the most dreadful.
Many people would find monotony of it all boring or too repetitive, but this is what I have come to love the most. Committing yourself day in and day out to working hard and being there for your teammates is what fuels the fire. Knowing that what you accomplish on the court or in the weight room that day is putting you and your team one step closer to your goals. You push your teammates to be better athletes, students and people, and hope to also see these improvements in yourself. Even the days when practice seems extra difficult, or you have been going nonstop since 6 a.m., nothing beats the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, knowing that you got through it and are that much closer to seeing your goals come to fruition.
The most rewarding aspect of the crazy daily routines student-athletes endure is competition.Emily Luetschwager, CSU Women's Tennis Player
The most rewarding aspect of the crazy daily routines student-athletes endure is competition. At the end of the week, when most students look forward to relaxation time, I get excited for the opportunity to compete and see the results of my hard work. All an athlete can ask for is to see the effort you put in every single day culminate into peak performance during competition. The days when the results aren’t so favorable come with the realization that there is more to keep working towards, and this feeling carries you into the next week of training.
As I am writing this piece, our team was scheduled to play our opening conference matches. All the work that was put in to the first half of the season would be have tested from now until the end of April when the conference tournament was scheduled. This was supposed to be the fun, rewarding time of year. These are the matches that have been on the back of your mind ever sense we started practice in September; the competitions that kept you working hard at early morning practices and in the weight room after a long day of class and practice.
This year, we will not get to evaluate the progress we have made. My team will not get the opportunity to accomplish our goal, there will be no clear signal that the time and effort we dedicated to this sport was worth it. But, as the days go by that I can’t train with my team like we always would be this time of year, I realize that this daily grind is what I love most about being a student-athlete and I refuse to take any minute of that experience for granted. The half of season that we did complete is what keeps me hopeful for the future and motivated to get back to the grind when the time comes.