Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Reunions




Today I'm blogging about reunions. Some of my readers know from the Bio Page on my website that I played Division I women's basketball for the University of Arizona…way back when. I graduated from college in 1986. I returned to Tucson this past weekend for my first ever women's basketball reunion. What an awesome experience! Five of my teammates during the mid-80's made the reunion. We hadn’t seen each other in 22 years!!

In the above picture we're standing in the corner of the weight room at the U of A. I'm wearing the white western shirt.

It was as if no time had passed since we'd last taken the floor together. We waxed nostalgia--the good, the bad and the ugly of playing a collegiate sport. We reminisced about games, players and coaches and what they were doing today. We talked about our 7-21 season my junior year and how we got a new coach my senior year and turned the program around with a 21-7 season! It was an awesome feeling to go out a winner the year I graduated.

We were treated to a tour of the athletic facilities which made us all drool. We agreed that the athletes today don’t appreciate how good they have it. When I played we were given one pair of basketball shoes and one pair of running shoes for the entire year. The women's player's today get at least three pair not to mention a TON of athletic wear. (I'm positive the guy's basketball team gets even more than that). They have access to state of the art medical facilities--there's an x-ray machine right in the training room. The U of A has 1 of only 3 underwater treadmills in the country. I kid you not. When an athlete is injured and rehabbing their ankle or knee, they submerge the athlete in this pool and have them run on a moving belt while underwater video cameras record the movements of injured body parts to monitor proper healing.

The locker rooms had leather couches and flat screen TV's. The only thing we used the locker room for was to change into our uniforms. The weight training room had a Gatorade bar for athletes--we had a drinking fountain in the corner. There were enough exercise bikes for an entire basketball team to use at once--we had to wait our turn. It truly is amazing how far collegiate athletic programs have come. And they have academic advisors that now travel with each team to make sure the players are keeping up with their studies and to provide tutoring assistance on the road.

For a few days I felt like I was twenty again with a world of choices in front of me. But in the end when I walked off campus that weekend I knew that I wouldn't have traded my experience at the university for anything. I worked hard and played hard and was so very grateful for the opportunity to have my college education paid for. I will never forget what a privileged it was to play for the U of A.

I can’t wait until we meet up again in four years!

Marin
In a Soldier's Arms *Hearts of Appalachia* (Feb 08)
A Coal Miner's Wife *Hearts o Appalachia* (Aug 08)
http://www.marinthomas.com/

5 comments:

Jennifer Shirk said...

That sounds so nice!

(I'd be a little jealous of the Gadorade bar, too, though)
LOL!

EllenToo said...

I think you summed up what's wrong with many college athletes today. You considered it a privilege to play and were thankful for having your college education paid for. Now a large majority expect it is their right to play and demand so much more.

Estella said...

I agree with Ellen!

Jennifer Faye said...

I agree too!!! They need to remember that it's just a game. That's what I tell my kids. Whether they will or lose, it won't change the world. Just go have fun.

Marin Thomas said...

Jennifer--it's great that you're teaching the kids to keep a positive attitude about winning and losing--it's so important at their age.

But I'm afraid winning is still everything in college. Coaches and administrators are fired and hired based on coaching records. Winning teams bring in the big bucks not only for the sports programs but the entire University and greatly contribute to the general scholarship funds. A winning team/athletic program gains more national TV coverage which means more publicity for the University. Sometimes it's a vicious cycle. In the end, though if you're not there to play and win, they don't want you.

Marin
In a Soldier's Arms (Feb 08)
www.marinthomas.com