‘Twas the night before NYU, and all through the college,
Not a person was sleeping, ‘cuz they had no parents to acknowledge.
Most were quite tired, but no one went to bed,
For visions of clubbing and Electric Zoo were still in their head.
In my room, I was cooking and digesting,
While my poor tired legs yearned to be resting.
‘Twas the night before my second year, and all through the hall,
Not a kid was found excited for the academic fall.
For New York is a city, too diverse to describe,
And the city is a place that gives off a pretty cool vibe.
Yep – that is/was my only attempt at publishing poetry. Take it for what it is but you can probably tell I’m really excited for school since I only have one class, which is pretty nice.
Anyways back to business… Besides the Yankees (76-58) falling deeper into a slump and the Padres (62-73) recovering from their less than impressive first half of the season, the past couple of days have been pretty normal. My days have lulled away with soccer, reuniting with old pals and taking naps without fear of sleeping through class. Our team has transitioned from the two sessions a day to just one and have already competed in one game against Stevens. Although we lost, it was a very useful game because it really helps us analyze what we did wrong and what we can work on as a group and as individuals.
It’s 11:30 I have to catch the subway to class early tomorrow (hello 8AMs on 42nd St! Say What?) so I’m off to bed!
Until next time! And Happy first day of school everybody 🙂
The past few days have gone by in a blink of an eye. I cannot believe that preseason is already here and my Mom has already left. So many memories have been made and way too many pictures have been taken – I don’t even know if I can give the last week justice.
A Collaboration
On my Mom and I’s last full day together in the city, we began our morning heading off towards NYU from her SoHo hotel. We grabbed a delicious breakfast at my favorite deli, “NoHo” and then I gave her a tour of the village since last time she visited she did not have the opportunity to walk by foot around campus. Following our adventure in the village, we walked down to Canal Street in the rain and began to cruise around. After a long drenched walk through SoHo we found ourselves in Little Italy and then began walking to the famed Katz deli. Katz Deli – let me tell you – so nomalicious! My mom and I split the turkey sandwich on rye bread – it was more than enough for the two of us – did I mention it was so yummy? I cannot even begin to describe the amazingness of the sandwich. Anyways, the rain was still pouring but we decided to make a run for McSorley’s which was a little less than a mile away. I could once again, go on and on about how cool of a place McSorley’s is, but I guarantee I cannot even begin to describe the oldest watering hole in Manhattan – take my word for it and visit!
Katz Deli – SO YUMMY
Mom and Her New Favorite Bar
The rain finally decided to subside after a round of black and tans at the pub and we once again ventured downtown towards the World Trade Center Memorial. Even though we did not get the opportunity to go inside the memorial, we did learn a lot about the reconstruction from a worker named Massimo. It’s so beautiful to see WTC#7 back up and Freedom Tower is almost built – simply a sign of our strength and prosperity since the attacks. Later in September I’ll write about the experience from my perspective when I was younger (I lived close to D.C. on 9/11).
Freedom Tower
After a walk around the FiDi, we retreated back to our hotel room since my teammate Phebe had just flown in and we wanted to grab dinner with her. We wound up at our favorite, Washington Square Diner – a late night staple that got me through way too many papers. It was the perfect ending to a long walking day and a great mini vacation for my Mom and I because the next day we were more than busy moving in.
Teammates
I couldn’t fall asleep that night – maybe it was the time difference, the excitement of moving in or maybe just the combination of the two that made it so hard to shut my eyes. Either way, I ended up getting up early enough to head on over to Carlyle to move in. Although check in was less than a smooth experience, everything turned out okay and Cami and I got a pretty gnarly room. A few hours and a ton of boxes later we moved in to our new abode on Union Square. That afternoon we had a team meeting; it was amazing seeing everybody’s beautiful faces again after a long summer spent apart and meeting tons of new girls.
Roommates
Granted it’s been a little less than a week since our first meeting but so much has happened, I don’t want to overwhelm everybody (plus I’m super tired and have to get up at 6 for practice). I’ll write again about the team and everything great that has happened since our first practice. Until next time!
P.S. Check this out! (I know super embarrassing, right?)
It’s late Saturday night and I’m sitting in my very neat, packed-up room, lying on my bed, wondering – will this be the last time I get to do this? And by “this” I mean – spend a summer with my family, friends and of course, my two favorite dogs. Is this my last summer at home? Is this what growing up is like? Is this the end of an era? It’s definitely a question worth asking and definitely a question that will be the root of many future discussions.
With only a day and a half left until I leave for New York, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I’ve been pondering my career goals and life aspirations, my successes and failures, but most importantly my current state of being. Simply said, I’ve been thinking about my past, present and future.
I was raised to be extremely independent and have grown used to operating on my own this past year; as a result, this summer has been anything but normal (for lack of a better word). The incessant pressures to act the same way as I did before college mounted higher than ever and the repetitive questions of “How was your season?” and “How do you like NYU?” just added sticks to the fire. Summer, for whatever reason, turned more into a job than a break from the constant rush of the city.
Coming back home to San Diego has definitely been a learning experience this summer and the learning curve has been very steep. Throughout the Summer I’ve compared stories with teammates and friends, and I’ve found one thing to be certain – coming home isn’t easy, but that doesn’t make leaving any easier.
This summer has been filled with a ton of great experiences including: my family visiting from around the world, a trip to Indiana, friends hanging out, road trips up to Los Angeles, and of course lounging on the boat. But New York is calling my name and is bound to be nothing short of craziness, a fast-paced lifestyle and my much needed dose of some “me” time to figure it all out.
Yes, I love San Diego and everything it has to offer, but I felt like I have come to the crossroads of my childhood and my future adulthood and I must take the next step into my life. As much as my parents don’t like it they need to realize it’s all part of me growing up. My independent side is yearning for adventure and quite honestly, I’m stuck here. I’ll be back in the Winter, for a few shorts days, perhaps even a few weeks, but the time has come for me to spread my wings and fly away from here.
Goodbye San Diego, you’ve been great. Next stop New York City.
The past couple of weeks my Facebook has been inundated with pictures from the class of 2012’s graduation pictures, and I couldn’t help but think that it seems like yesterday that I was among the seven hundred-something students walking across the stage at Viejas Arena. It seems like only hours ago that I was boarding the plane for the first time, bound for New York City for NYU Freshman Orientation. And it seems as if this whole year passed by in a single New York Minute, but I guess in a way it has. Each and every single memory has been compressed into a tiny piece of information, stored away in my brain, only to be brought to surface again by a picture, a sound, or smell. It’s crazy to think how much I have experienced in a year, but I think it’s even crazier to think that I cannot even measure how great of a year it was, not by the number of wins or losses, nor smiles and tears that marked my face. I guess its not about the journey, rather about the people you meet along the way.
Love my club girls
Looking back, this year’s been great. Graduation, a trip to Europe, getting cleared to play, the beginning of college, an ECAC Championship, and so much more has happened in a little less than 365 days. But when I take away everything that happened, I find myself thinking about everyone who made it happen. As a military brat, I learned early on that the best way to survive the long deployments and constant moving was to have a strong support system, anchored by your family and friends who were going through the same thing. I employed the same tactics throughout the rest of my life in every challenge I encountered, because it simply worked. Being the social butterfly that I am, making new friends was never a problem, especially being on a team. For anybody that has been part of any team or unit, I think you understand when I say that the people you spend that much time become your family. You can do silly things in front of them, tell them your deepest and darkest secrets, and even conquer the world with them because they are with you through the thickest and thinnest of times. As for me, my teammates are my sisters, best friends, and some of the coolest people I’ve ever met. They’ve influenced me in more ways than I’d like to share and know more about me than I probably know about myself. So in honor of all of those teammates, I would like to dedicate this blog to them and share a few stories about them.
Part of our Freshman Class
During high school, I played for the San Diego Surf Soccer Club. Club soccer is interesting in the way that each person on your team is not only competing for a spot on the field but also on a college roster, it’s every man for themselves and can get a little cutthroat. Although I wasn’t on any given team for more than a year because I was a goalkeeper playing up (age-wise) I made a number of friends that I still keep in touch with to this day. I figure when you tear your ACL and your teammates are there, it’s sort of hard to get rid of the ones who held your hand when you were writhing in pain. These girls not only helped me during my whole ACL recovery (which is an entirely different story in itself) but were my bestest of friends in high school. We may not remember the wins and losses now, but we do remember the times we fell down laughing at each other in practice and super long road trips to exotic locations like Lancaster and Las Vegas (please note the sarcasm).
Captains
When I moved to New York the first people I met were my teammates. Rewind back to August…we’re all sitting in the Coles Conference Room for the first time as a team. I looked around the room and saw not only my teammates for the next season, but best friends, future bridesmaids and sisters for life. In the matter of only a few weeks, we had formed friendships that would normally take years to build.A few ice breakers and fitness tests later, we were more than just teammates. We bonded over doing extra running and the sun pounding down on our backs during two-a-days. Although we spent our first few days in New York dealing with extreme heat, an earthquake, and a hurricane, I wasn’t clicking my cleats together wishing I was back home. I was home, with 23 new best friends by my side.
My Sisters
I think it’d be fair to say that we’ve had a decent amount of adventures this past year. Ranging from our numerous travel issues to the All-Athlete Auction to even sitting in the training room catching up on everything that had happened since we had last seen each other. We’ve hung out in waiting rooms, patiently waiting for teammates to emerge from their surgeries, we’ve held each other in warm embraces when tears fall down our faces, and we’ve seen each other at our best and worst. We’ve done it all together.
Through Rain, Sleet, and Snow
Coming home this Summer I felt I experienced more changes than I ever have in any of my global moves. I wasn’t used to having a room to myself all the time or working out alone. A part of me was missing when I came home. It just goes to show that the people whom you surround yourself with are truly monumental in every little thing you do. I truly think the team does not get enough credit in a success of any given athlete. Sure, the parents drive the kids to practice, and the coach teaches them how to play but it’s the other girls on the field who push, inspire and persevere together.
One Team. One Dream.
Quote of the Week: “Scars heal, glory fades, and all we are left with are the memories made.” – Chris Cagle
Two months until I’m back in the city and I cannot even explain how much I’m missing it. I love to take pictures and more often than not I love to pretend that I’m actually a great photographer. Whilst in New York, I tried to avoid looking like a tourist and carrying around my large Canon 60D, but hey sometimes you just cannot resist the beauty of the Concrete Jungle. Here are some of my favorite pics from both my Canon and my handy dandy iPhone.
Flying into NYC
There will never cease to be construction
The Park in the Summer – Absolutely Beautiful
One of my favorite places to indulge myself
The park in the Spring
Subway Signs
I love stepping off the plane and seeing this
Rainy Days
Benches in WSP
Fences around the Village
My School
Love the vibrant colors in the Fall
On the way to our game
The Park at Night
I can’t wait until it’s all finished
So early in the morning after a snowfall
Our Beautiful Campus
Beautiful Holiday Decoration
A Birdseye view down 5th Ave
The SE Corner of Central Park in the Snow
Madison Square Garden
The Highline
Sunset on the Highline
Times Square
The Brooklyn Bridge
Central Park in Winter
Times Square is the place to be after any win
The Flat Iron Building
Jam of the Day: “New York City” by The Peter Malick Group feat. Norah Jones
I cannot believe it’s over. The tables are back in their places, our bags are packed and all of us are back to our respective hometowns and colleges. It’s a bittersweet ending to such an incredible trip. It’s hard to believe that in just 96 short hours I met tons of incredible student-athletes, collegiate coaches and AD’s, conference leaders, and NCAA officials. But I think it’s even harder to believe that it’s really done (and that I stay dressed up the WHOLE time.)
The past few days have been more than I could have imagined. The people, the information, even just the warm Summer Indiana air made this experience magical. Truth be told, I could probably write a very long, detailed blog on the whole trip, but I don’t want to bore you, so here’s my top ten favorite things (in no particular order) from this year’s 2012 NCAA Career in Sports Forum.
The Fellow Student-Athletes – As cliché as it sounds it’s true. Along with the future NFL and NBA players I had the pleasure of meeting I also met incredibly talented student-athletes who will be making strides in the future. A number of people offered great insight into the rest of my college years and the rest of my career as a sports fanatic wanting to work in this profession.
All 300 of us
The DiSC Assessment – Surprisingly enough I’m an “iD” in this behavioral assessment, which means I’m outgoing and a people person but like being in charge every so often – scarily true right? It was really a great tool for all of us and highly recommend everybody to take it to learn what sort of personality you have. By the end of the weekend, all of us were analyzing each other’s personality and making fun of it a bit, but hey it was incredibly useful and I’m thankful we were offered the chance to do it.
CSF Gear
Clint Bruce – This man epitomizes what every man should strive to be. A United States Naval Academy graduate who not only played in the NFL but was also a Seal who led some of our nation’s finest. He not only taught us to choose to be excellent, but also stressed to never make a decision without knowing the “why” to what you’re doing. My next blog post will be dedicated to his keynote speech.
A Standing Ovation and Some tears for Clint Bruce
Discovering Downtown Indy – Every night I was in Indy, I had the chance to walk around and explore this capital city. I saw Colts Stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Stadium, the Pacers Arena, the Convention Center and so much more – it’s definitely a sporty city. After walking around, I realized how much I take living in both San Diego and NYC for granted.
Colts Stadium
Downtown Indy
NCAA Hall of Champions – I only to one day to find myself among the amazing young men and women plastered to the brick walls. We got the distinct opportunity to not only eat dinner but also explore the museum all to ourselves. It currently ranks number one in my favorite museums, closely followed by the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
Hall of Champs
James, NYU Runner, and the XC Booth
Loving Me Some WoPo
The Social Media Session taught by @NCAADana – Along with the insightful information that the NCAA has access to all of our social media, I learned a lot about how to network via Social Media and how to market yourself correctly to future employers. As a social media fiend, (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In, you name it) I really enjoy learning about the implications and importance of this rising phenomenon. It was also really cool to make a hash-tag live in the audience for the conference, #2012NCAACSF
The Four NYU Reps Instagrammed
The Alternative Career in Sports Panel – During this panel, we got to listen to a few professionals working in the gaming, broadcasting, marketing, and law fields. It was very eye opening for me, seeing as I didn’t even realize that some of these fields existed and applied to sports. It was interesting to note how much of an impact that even the gaming industry had on intercollegiate athletics.
With My Heisman Trophy, Pose And All
The Color Group Meetings – As I wrote earlier, we were each divvied up into different groups of around 35 people. I found these sessions to be very informative, not only about intercollegiate athletics, but about myself as well. Going back and looking through my workbook, my notes demonstrate a need for me to work in an environment that is active, team-oriented and showcases my outgoing personality. In these sessions I also learned how to effectively communicate, something I’ve been working on both personally and on the field. This aspect of the conference was very useful, plus I met some quality people I will stay in touch with from my group.
Red Team
Annie and I, Someday I hope to be like her
The Networking Tools – In a matter of four days, I did not expect a sudden change in any of my behaviors, but man, I sure do notice now how much my social skills have changed. I’m now more likely to start a conversation with a random stranger, and on the way home, as luck would have it, I began a conversation with an old NCAA swimmer from UNC Chapel Hill. He gave me a ton of advice on that short 55 minute flight and I greatly appreciate him spending the time talking to me, considering the fact that he was probably exhausted from the Bachelor’s Party in New Orleans he was flying from.
Roomie, Former teammate and fellow Surf Soccer player
The Inspiration – Looking back through my workbook, I have a number of inspirational quotes lining the margins of each page. You know me, I love quotes, so I throughly enjoyed each session filled with bits and pieces of motivation and advice. Here’s one: “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”
I came to this conference thinking I’d come out of it with hundreds of contacts and a known career path, but it turns out that I’m even more at a loss. The thing I did find was that athletics is truly a passion of mine because it connects us all on such a deep level. Athletics are greater than all of us.
Hope all of my fellow NCAA CSF’ers got home quickly and safely!
Gone were the dog days of summer, the hours spent on the beach and the times spent giggling late into the night with my best friends. I was playing a whole different ball game. The moment I stepped off that Boeing 747, everything changed. Not only did I have to adjust to the new time change but I had to get used to living with a roommate, paying for things on my own, making new friends, and dealing with the humidity (ughh!).
About ten months ago, I embarked on a journey that not only changed my coordinates on a map, but turned my life as I knew it upside down. I once again packed up my belongings in big cardboard boxes, neatly folded all of my clothes into my two large suitcases, and grabbed a one way ticket to New York City. I was diving head first into a world that I was unsure of. Yes, I had been to the Big Apple before, but I was completely lost on what to expect when I went to school and played soccer there. As I disembarked the plane, the butterflies of nervousness transformed into butterflies of excitement. I really had just moved to New York City.
It’s amazing what can happen in one year. 365 days. 12 months. 52 weeks. But it’s extraordinary how much can happen in less than that time. I would have never in a million years imagined that I would be in college playing two sports, majoring in Sports Management, and interning at a company I had admired for years. I didn’t even know these opportunities existed. New York City is truly the place where dreams come true.
Sitting in the warmth of my house, on the big comfy couches in the living room, it’s hard to imagine that this will be my last summer as a teenager here in San Diego. It’s time to live it up, but in the meantime this blog will serve as a record of my adventures in and out of the city that never sleeps. Moving to the city, going to school and playing soccer at NYU were probably the most monumental decisions I have ever made but I’m sure glad I went with my gut on this one. This year has been magical and I cannot wait to be “Meg in Manhattan” once again.
