It's been over a month since my team got the news that we would be traveling home from the WAC Basketball Tournament early this year and that the rest of our season was over. The night before we found out about the cancellation, my team cheered on our women's basketball team to a spectacular upset against second-seeded Utah Valley University and our hopes were high that the men's team would see the same success in their first-round game. Later at our hotel, we all got together in the seniors' room to celebrate the win and relish in what for some would be their last event as a Seattle Dance Team member. We woke up the next morning to the news that our season would be coming to an abrupt end and we would be leaving Las Vegas as soon as possible.
We knew this was coming. All of us had been following the news and understood the threat of the virus. Many of us have family members and close friends who are at high risk of contracting it. Still, it didn't feel personal until we were forced to come to terms with our new reality in a post-COVID-19 world. We were heartbroken, but mostly just glad we got to have that one night together in celebration at the end of our season.
Dance Team has become such a massive part of my college experience. The schedule and routine help me stay on top of my schoolwork; the structure helps me build skills I never developed in high school studio teams. Dance drives me to be my best both on and off the court, and the opportunities that I've had as a result of my membership have made my college experience what it is. I've learned lessons in leadership and accountability that help inform every professional move I make. I owe much of who I am to the team, and I couldn't imagine college without it.
When I look back on this time, I want to remember the pain I felt when I heard that the season was over. I want to remember the sadness I felt realizing I won't get to dance with some of my teammates again. I want to remember the loss I felt after losing access to so many parts of my active lifestyle and how I struggled to accommodate this new reality. But ultimately, I want to remember that I couldn't have gotten through it without my team and the lessons I have learned from college athletics. Every time I've put off working on my technique or procrastinated completing a workout, I'm reminded of what it will feel like to be on the court together in the fall. I am reminded that I owe it to myself and to my team to be the best version of me once the new season starts.
There is so much that is completely out of our control right now. We can't control the rate of testing, how many ICU beds are available in our city, or how fast we are able to develop a vaccine. But we can stay home and socially distance. By staying home, we are saving lives. If I have learned anything from my time on the team and from Seattle University as an institution, it is that there are some things that are much, much bigger than us. We have an opportunity to choose to protect those among us with the least access to care and least protection from this crisis. Sports will always be there. Dance will always be there. No matter the capacity, the things that we love will be ready for us to return to them once this is done. But if we rush the process of reopening, if we do not take this time to flatten the curve and prepare our response, there will be people who should be watching a season opener next year that won't be.
Thank you to the Seattle healthcare workers, thank you to the grocery store clerks and the postal workers. Thank you to all essential workers who are risking their lives to make sure that ours have some semblance of normalcy. And thank you to Seattle University faculty and staff for making this transition easier for us students and for teaching us that this crisis is greater than ourselves. Lastly, thank you to my team, we will get through this.
We knew this was coming. All of us had been following the news and understood the threat of the virus. Many of us have family members and close friends who are at high risk of contracting it. Still, it didn't feel personal until we were forced to come to terms with our new reality in a post-COVID-19 world. We were heartbroken, but mostly just glad we got to have that one night together in celebration at the end of our season.
Dance Team has become such a massive part of my college experience. The schedule and routine help me stay on top of my schoolwork; the structure helps me build skills I never developed in high school studio teams. Dance drives me to be my best both on and off the court, and the opportunities that I've had as a result of my membership have made my college experience what it is. I've learned lessons in leadership and accountability that help inform every professional move I make. I owe much of who I am to the team, and I couldn't imagine college without it.
When I look back on this time, I want to remember the pain I felt when I heard that the season was over. I want to remember the sadness I felt realizing I won't get to dance with some of my teammates again. I want to remember the loss I felt after losing access to so many parts of my active lifestyle and how I struggled to accommodate this new reality. But ultimately, I want to remember that I couldn't have gotten through it without my team and the lessons I have learned from college athletics. Every time I've put off working on my technique or procrastinated completing a workout, I'm reminded of what it will feel like to be on the court together in the fall. I am reminded that I owe it to myself and to my team to be the best version of me once the new season starts.
There is so much that is completely out of our control right now. We can't control the rate of testing, how many ICU beds are available in our city, or how fast we are able to develop a vaccine. But we can stay home and socially distance. By staying home, we are saving lives. If I have learned anything from my time on the team and from Seattle University as an institution, it is that there are some things that are much, much bigger than us. We have an opportunity to choose to protect those among us with the least access to care and least protection from this crisis. Sports will always be there. Dance will always be there. No matter the capacity, the things that we love will be ready for us to return to them once this is done. But if we rush the process of reopening, if we do not take this time to flatten the curve and prepare our response, there will be people who should be watching a season opener next year that won't be.
Thank you to the Seattle healthcare workers, thank you to the grocery store clerks and the postal workers. Thank you to all essential workers who are risking their lives to make sure that ours have some semblance of normalcy. And thank you to Seattle University faculty and staff for making this transition easier for us students and for teaching us that this crisis is greater than ourselves. Lastly, thank you to my team, we will get through this.