It happened altogether so fast… in the blink of an eye, our season was finished. Flying back from Oahu, Hawaii, I could hear my teammates' devastation about how they wished that they had finished strong in our last tournament, the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational hosted by the University of Hawaii. In contrast, I was feeling excited for the upcoming events. I had just adjusted the mechanics to my swing over winter break and the first month back into the season. I wasn't able to qualify for the first tournament because of these adjustments, but the second tournament showcased that I was, more than ever, ready to be on the playing field again.
Everyone on the team and I still had a lot of room for improvement to be made before the WAC Championship. Now, in light of recent events regarding COVID-19, we knew that the season would be suspended for a couple of weeks. What we didn't expect was for our whole season to be taken away from us.
As soon as we landed from our six-hour flight, we found out that the remainder of the season was canceled. We were all sitting quietly in the van that was going back to campus, all of us feeling the same mixed emotions: confusion, disappointment, frustration, anxiousness, and more. I was upset - we had been gaining momentum over the past few years and it ended so abruptly. Our dedication to countless hours of practice and restless 6:30 a.m. morning workouts felt wasted. Two days later, I moved out of the dorm, packed up all my things and moved back home.
Despite this, I realized that the seniors are the ones who feel the most impacted by this. Their remaining year for their college career was totally stripped away from them. They played their last collegiate tournament without even knowing it. Although this season ended for me, I still had one more year to compete as a Redhawk. I thought more about for our one senior on the women's golf team, Krystal Hu, and how the possibilities of her not getting the chance to celebrate an in-person commencement. In addition, our economy was going to head into a big recession, meaning more unemployment and fewer job opportunities.
Our time was short and taken away from us, but in turn a family was created. Along this journey, I feel blessed for the opportunities that the Redhawk community has given me and many fellow student-athletes to grow. Moreover, I am extremely grateful for the amazing women in my team who have done so much for the program and for all of the memories that we created together. I know that we all have the talent and skills to play well.
To my girls: allow yourself to be proud of yourself and all the progress you've made, even the progress that no one else can see. As long as we are doing what we can do at this moment, none of our efforts are going to waste. With postponement, it means another year of our potential growth. We shouldn't let challenging times or problems stop or define us. We should keep looking towards the future, because success continues beyond our years of college. Any progress is success in itself.
"If you want something, go get it. Period." - The Pursuit of Happyness