By Brooke Kane-Walker, Senior, St. Bonaventure Softball
To say that this situation is a shock is a total understatement. This event changes an entire lifetime and has affected billions of individuals throughout the globe. To bring this upon myself is a complete abomination.
I will say, playing my last game unknowingly in Florida hit pretty hard. When I saw the NCAA’s tweet around 4:00p.m. on March 12, my heart sank and I was immediately crushed. Knowing that those games were the last games that I would ever play with my teammates, coaches, and fans had me totally speechless.
All that could run through my head was, “this was supposed to be our year,” and “This was the year that we were going to turn around the St. Bonaventure Softball Program.”
My teammates, fellow seniors and coaches worked like a well-oiled machine in communication and in unison. We were all finally on the same page with trusting each other and trusting the process for our end goal. We have finally figured out how to take each day, each game, each play and each pitch mindfully. It was our year.
I was so excited to play my final season at shortstop with my amazing and inspiring classmates. We could hardly wait to get out of Butler gym and put forth all of our hard work from the off-season. My teammates worked so unbelievably hard to get to where we were and it was just over in the blink of an eye. We were all so eager to play softball, to be great, and to make the last of everlasting memories. However, this event will be an event that truly undergoes history.
At first I found myself thinking about how this crushes my senior year with my fellow seniors and best friends. No more senior day, no more preparation to play our last game, no more playing on Joyce Field at St. Bonaventure.
But how could I say that? THOUSANDS of seniors across the country have been impacted and may have played their last games ever or ran their last race just like me. Everything that they have worked for to make their senior season flourish was taken. Players have dedicated their entire lives to compete for a national championship and to strive for success in their final years of play. I extend my deepest thoughts to those athletes experiencing this. ALL of your hard work does not go unnoticed. My heart is with you all. We are in this together.
However, it is not just about me, or us, or just seniors. It is about the safety of billions of people living in this world. The NCAA made a wise decision for the sake of the country and the health of those who are vulnerable within this population. Think about children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, and those every day. I will gladly trade my senior season and my last games to play for the sake of their health. I think many others could agree. Our world is much bigger than this heartbreak.
The NCAA is also very gracious as to grant EVERY athlete another year of eligibility. I believe that this is the right thing to do. Every athlete has worked their entire lives to compete at the collegiate level and I believe it is only fair to everyone to grant everyone another year of eligibility.
Although, most seniors like myself, will no longer be able to compete due to commitments made with graduate programs, jobs, military enlistments and other things. Personally, I will be attending graduate school at Slippery Rock University to obtain my doctorate in Physical Therapy. So, for these athletes, my heart is with every single one of you. This sacrifice that we are making is not going unnoticed and it is for the greater good of society.
One thing that my coach, Mike Threehouse, has always said is, “in order for this to work and for us to be successful, is if we stick together.” This could not hold more true as it does right now. Us athletes have to stick together and support one another, because at the end of the day… we are ALL united under God. We were ALL competing for the same dream and for the same opportunities. Perhaps a new opportunity presented itself in sacrifice for others. This is a new aspect of competing. Instead, this time it is for the greater good of our globe.
Coaches, parents, fans, athletic departments, the A10 and the entire NCAA, I cannot thank you enough for your hard work throughout this pandemic to ensure the right thing. You have always had our backs and you have always supported our successes. Your work and your love for us athletes do not go unnoticed either. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
