First Impressions

Wow. So this is college. This crazy whirlwind that I've been doing for the last three weeks. This two-a-day practices, no rest orientation schedule, classes have started, find time to call mom and old friends, make time to hang out with new friends, not too mention way too much homework for the first day of class, join the choir, go to chapel, get to the cafeteria, go buy your books, catch a few z's, wake up, do it all over again... this is college.

This is what seniors in high school dream about. This is what alumni remember as the best days of their life. And now it's finally mine!

At first I felt like I was just at a summer camp. A really long two week volleyball camp. A camp composed of grueling three-a-day practices that never seemed to end. There are many names for this kind of crazy torture that a player is willing put themselves through, the most common being "pre-season." Now I know not everybody loves sports, but everyone can appreciate working really hard for something and then getting rewarded for your efforts. Yeah, pre-season was tough, but in those two long weeks, we became not only conditioned athletes but also a united team. We bonded when we practiced, at seven o'clock breakfast, at movie nights, and (my personal favorite) as we went tubing down the Upper Iowa River! (Hence the picture up top- I'm on the left!)

Now pre-season has come to an end. This week I started classes and (thankfully) have just one practice a day! However, I didn't really expect the rest of this stuff. I figured when volleyball calmed down I would have more time on my hands, not the other way around. I didn't think it was possible to actually get busier than those last two weeks. Orientation definitely proved me wrong! But that's another blog! ;)

For now, admist the new waves of stress that I'm undergoing, the risks I'm taking, and the classes I'm trying to study for, it's just nice to know that I have a team to turn to. I think coaches make pre-season so hard because they know that college will be that much harder. And in my hour of need as I start this crazy, exciting new journey, it's great to already have a solid group of friends to get me through it. How many freshman girls can say that on their first day of class they already have thirty other girls who "got their back?" It's an awesome feeling to have. It definitely helped this first week of classes, and I know it'll get me through next week as well....WOW! I'm in college. And I think with a little help from my friends, I'll make it just fine!