Let me be honest with you all. I have written, and rewritten this over and over again, and I still cannot find the words to say what I would like. As the majority of people know, NCAA has shut down all competition due to COVID-19, this included a cancellation of all spring sports. For me, a softball player, us spring sport athletes have trained from July up until when our preseason starts in February. Seven months of sweat, tears, and crammed schedules to get told that our season was ripped from under us in a matter of hours. Like many other athletes, my life stopped.
I have played this sport since I was three years old, and until I was a junior in high school, I participated in two-to-three sports throughout the year. In other words, my whole life has consisted of me always moving, being an athlete, in school, and volunteering or working trying to give back to my community as much as I could. On March 12, that all changed.
Our team was getting ready for our home opener. Finally, we get to show our loved ones that are in Seattle what we have trained for. For our seniors, it was their last home opener, and for our freshmen, their first of many. Everyone was excited, and fueling until we got the text that our season has been put on hold.
My mind instantly thought that this was just a joke, an overreaction. I felt like I was in a nightmare that I could not get up from. This year we got the opportunity to play many ranked teams, and got to go places that many of us on the team went to as little kids. We were finally making it, and yet we never got to see our true potential play out into the season. I could see each person on my team blooming, like flowers in the spring, but we never got the chance to show everyone around us.
As a Christian, I truly believe that God does everything for a reason, and I trust that He has a plan for this. I know that seeing the silver lining during this devastating time is hard, and being an athlete, I am struggling to understand why our Father would have us go through such a travesty, but as a child of God, I choose to look to Him for light.
Maybe, this is a time for healing with one another. Maybe, this is a time to heal our mind, body, heart, and soul. Maybe, this is a time to fall in love with the game again. Maybe this is a time that we need to self-correct ourselves in order to be the best we can. I am not saying this is the reason, and I am not saying that I can justify God having people pass away, sports to stop, people to lose their job, etc. All I know is that we can either dwell on what horrible things are happening in the world, or we can acknowledge the disappointment, and move forward. What matters is how we respond. Everyone is heartbroken, but as a community we will respond, united, and as one. "Together we soar" is not just a catchy saying that we Redhawks preach, but how we choose to live in our academic, and athletic community.
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To the fall sport athletes, I feel horrible that your season got cut short. Your off-season games are just as important than the in-season ones. I recognize, and grieve for you to have a loss season. To the winter sport athletes, I cannot say how sorry I am. You all have worked day, and night, to get a shot to win the championship. You went through all the training, games, and to finally have been stripped of the tournament is not heartbreaking, but heart-shattering. To our spring sport athletes, I cannot tell you how sorry I feel. My heart genuinely hurts for those of you who could not complete the year. Just know that we will get through this together.
Last, and never least, I want to acknowledge all of the coaches, and staff at Seattle University. I am sorry for all of you coaches that have lost the completion of your season. All of us athletes see how much heart you put into your jobs, and we appreciate how all of you coaches have made us a family. And the staff, oh my goodness, you are amazing! Thank you for all the work you do. It does not go unnoticed.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9
Thank you,
Shianne (Shi) Smith
I have played this sport since I was three years old, and until I was a junior in high school, I participated in two-to-three sports throughout the year. In other words, my whole life has consisted of me always moving, being an athlete, in school, and volunteering or working trying to give back to my community as much as I could. On March 12, that all changed.
Our team was getting ready for our home opener. Finally, we get to show our loved ones that are in Seattle what we have trained for. For our seniors, it was their last home opener, and for our freshmen, their first of many. Everyone was excited, and fueling until we got the text that our season has been put on hold.
My mind instantly thought that this was just a joke, an overreaction. I felt like I was in a nightmare that I could not get up from. This year we got the opportunity to play many ranked teams, and got to go places that many of us on the team went to as little kids. We were finally making it, and yet we never got to see our true potential play out into the season. I could see each person on my team blooming, like flowers in the spring, but we never got the chance to show everyone around us.
As a Christian, I truly believe that God does everything for a reason, and I trust that He has a plan for this. I know that seeing the silver lining during this devastating time is hard, and being an athlete, I am struggling to understand why our Father would have us go through such a travesty, but as a child of God, I choose to look to Him for light.
Maybe, this is a time for healing with one another. Maybe, this is a time to heal our mind, body, heart, and soul. Maybe, this is a time to fall in love with the game again. Maybe this is a time that we need to self-correct ourselves in order to be the best we can. I am not saying this is the reason, and I am not saying that I can justify God having people pass away, sports to stop, people to lose their job, etc. All I know is that we can either dwell on what horrible things are happening in the world, or we can acknowledge the disappointment, and move forward. What matters is how we respond. Everyone is heartbroken, but as a community we will respond, united, and as one. "Together we soar" is not just a catchy saying that we Redhawks preach, but how we choose to live in our academic, and athletic community.
.
To the fall sport athletes, I feel horrible that your season got cut short. Your off-season games are just as important than the in-season ones. I recognize, and grieve for you to have a loss season. To the winter sport athletes, I cannot say how sorry I am. You all have worked day, and night, to get a shot to win the championship. You went through all the training, games, and to finally have been stripped of the tournament is not heartbreaking, but heart-shattering. To our spring sport athletes, I cannot tell you how sorry I feel. My heart genuinely hurts for those of you who could not complete the year. Just know that we will get through this together.
Last, and never least, I want to acknowledge all of the coaches, and staff at Seattle University. I am sorry for all of you coaches that have lost the completion of your season. All of us athletes see how much heart you put into your jobs, and we appreciate how all of you coaches have made us a family. And the staff, oh my goodness, you are amazing! Thank you for all the work you do. It does not go unnoticed.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9
Thank you,
Shianne (Shi) Smith