"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
Arthur Ashe
This week was a bit of a journey. Between Monday and Friday, we played three matches. One home match and two away. It was a tough week with not as many wins as we would all hope as a team but one with a ton of learning. We were able to win our home match on Tuesday which was so fun because we got the chance to entertain the home audience, even though it wasn't very large. The energy however from all of them was at an all-time high and the courts were buzzing. It was also a great opportunity for everyone on the team to get some much-needed victories and we did enjoy them. Our next match was against Nichols in Louisiana. However, it didn't turn out as good as we all hoped and we weren't able to walk away with a team win I was able to walk away with a victory after losing the first set 1-6. I was able to recover with the second and third sets being 6-1 and 6-2. It was really fun walking off the court with a win one that I was proud of. While we were away competing we all missed nearly a week of school and for some of us, today was a bit stressful. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago the balance between being a student and an athlete is so fine and this week was one of those moments that was hard to stay balanced. We missed every day except Monday and we all fell a little behind and are now playing the catch-up game!
So coming up the next couple weeks are full of tennis, school, and socializing with all my new acquaintances. The girls' team leaves Thursday for Montgomery, Alabama to play against Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M while the boys are heading down to Corpus Christi to play a tournament. Even though we love our van rides with everyone I will say I am sure both teams are going to enjoy a little bit of space for one weekend. But the following weekend we will all be together again and all sardined into the van! It is rough to travel like we do sometimes but as a team I think we need to realize how much it brings everyone together compared to other teams we see. Both the girls and boys are together compared to other teams that heavily separate the two we are stronger together. We cheer each other, we support each other and we fight as a team together which is something that is so incredible coming from such a long run in tennis alone! I am excited to see what the next couple weeks bring as we start our conference matches and playing for real.
SPOTLIGHT!
This week I'm going to spotlight someone who I have had the opportunity to meet while here in college. Being a freshman in college is a stressful time for a lot of people and this person has taken it upon themself to make sure that every single one of us freshman feels nothing but included. It is something that not a lot of people notice, but being in an environment like this can make a big impact on the rest of someone's life. They know it and picking up the little things they do to help everyone while trying to be unnoticed has been something heart warming to watch. Growing up where and how I did making sure no one felt how I did in a sense of loneliness was always important to me. I would sit alone and sometimes play alone but I was always looking to see if someone needed a friend and to make sure they didn't feel alone. It gave me today. lot of people who I can call friend and when I am home I know I can reach out to and be remembered but it was also tough to experience at such a young age. To find someone who has the same mentality as me has been so beneficial to me transitioning to college life. It has helped me continue to be that person but also be able to have a friend to help me make sure we are ok as well. Thank you for doing what you do!
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