A Senior's Reflection-JJ Smith

JJ Smith swims the sprint freestyle events for the Aquabears.

As I think back about the past four years I have been on this team, I can only remember the good times.  There were bad times, bad practices, coaches and teammates having bad days, long bus rides, but I only remember the good times.  I remember going to the corn mazes and jumping out and scaring everyone and making some girls cry because they were so scared.  I laugh when I remember all those fun, awkward trips to water world.  The memories of going camping, picking pumpkins, winter training trips, painting classrooms, and white elephant parties.  No matter how beat down or broken we are, we always find a way to pick our team up and kick some butt the next day at practice or a meet.

A few things I remember the most are the conference meets, vividly.  Freshmen year, I was a nervous wreck at the University of Houston.  Swimming against these monsters from other teams and foreign countries, I thought I was big but these girls were WAY bigger and faster.

 

The next year, still in Houston, we came back stronger and faster.  We made some new friends with “the Tank”, “Butt crack boy” and the rest of the Hawaii team and danced the night away in the hotel hallway as we stormed the competition and showed them we were a different team. 

Then finally my junior year we got to make a new name for ourselves at MPSF in Long Beach, California.  We came, we saw, and we conquered.  As a team we rose to the challenge of being the underdogs and we blew everyone away with breaking records and being the team we are. 

And this year, I cannot wait to see how much our team improves and what we can do this year.  Based on what I have seen this season from them I am counting down not the days till I am done but the days until I get to watch my team achieve the goals we have been working for the past 7 months.

After everything I have been through with this team good, bad, hard, fun, etc.  I would never change a single thing that happened the past four years.  I owe my success in swimming and school to multiple people who know who they are.  I would not have been able to finish my swimming career without the help and support of my team.  So again I thank each and every one of you.

If anything I am proud to say I am and will always be a UNC Bear.

Senior's Reflection-Hannah Halstrom

Hannah Halstrom swims the middle-distance fly and free events for the Aquabears.

                I have had the time of my life over the past four years here at UNC. I could not have asked for a better experience. My teammates and coaches have been there for me every step of the way and I would not have been able to accomplish what I have without them!

                As a freshman I was terrified to come to college but something about being on a team makes the process so much easier. You always have someone to eat dinner with or hang out with on any night of the week, even if it means baking a cake and watching Friends.

                My sophomore year was even better because we all had the chance to start fresh again. We had a new coach and a new freshman class. At first I was skeptical about the incoming freshman because there were so many but as it turns out they have now become my best friends and I am with them 24-7! Again, baking cakes and watching Friends.     

                Junior year was one of those years with a lot of ups and downs but my team was there right with me so it was easy to get through it. We became a lot closer and continued to bake and watch Friends.

                I have finally made it to my senior year of college and I still feel as though I am eighteen. I’m nervous to enter reality where there are no set practice times or a team to back you up but I know that I will be successful because this team has taught me to be strong and confident.  We have so much fun together and at the same time we push each other to reach our goals. It has been four year and we still are baking cakes and watching Friends but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

                I will never forget my experience here at UNC or the friends I have made. This team is my family and I love them all so much!

A Senior's Reflection-Sammy Leonard

The Seniors of Northern Colorado Swimming and Diving have dedicated the past four years to the university and their team. On Saturday January 28 they will be honored in front of a home crowd, and each day on our blog you can read about their time at NC.

Today's blog comes from Sammy Leonard who swims the backstroke events for the Aquabears.

It is amazing how fast 4 years can fly by. When I first came to UNC and met all the girls on the team I expected to gain more friends I never expected that I would gain a second family away from home. When I think about the 4 years that I have been on this team there is only one thing that comes to mind and that is my teammates. They are the ones that gave me the strength to get through these years, they were always there to help me get through a really tough practice, and they were there for any other support that I needed.

Some of the best memories that I have had on this team would have to be all of the meets and the activities we do as a team that helps bring us closer together.  I mean, how many teams do you know of that go on camping trips with the entire team and learn about everyone’s life and still come back stronger than ever after spending two days in the woods?…. Not many!

When it comes to thinking about the meets I would say the one that I will ALWAYS remember is conference every year, these meets will be in my mind for the rest of my life. Probably not on what I went or what someone else went but I will remember all the laughs that we had while on these trips that will include how many times we got lost or how many times we had to do a U-turn (I lost count). Also just the great moods everyone was in because we were all swimming great and surpassing all the times that any of us ever thought that we would be able to go.

So with my time on this team I have learned that no matter how bad a day is or how terrible a practice was all I had to do is look for one of my amazing teammates and they were there for me every time. Because after being a part of a team that I have had the experience to be with I won’t remember a practice or my 100 backstroke time at the New Mexico meet what I will remember is the time spent with my team/friends/family.