Ashley Bids Farewell

I never thought that it would be my turn to write my cross country Senior Salute. It is something that always seemed so far away, something that was for my older teammates. It turns out that when you’re a senior in your fourth season, you are the older teammates. The time has come and despite spending the entire season in the role as captain and as the older teammates, it still doesn’t feel right that it is over. Despite how it feels, it really is over. I have no regrets to joining the team. It is one of the best choices I have made at Saint Mary’s. It has kept me sane. Looking back at the past four seasons, I can see how much racing for the SMU team has impacted my college experience and influenced who I will be leaving college. I couldn’t have made it this far without the support, and love of my teammates, family, friends, and coaches. Without the teammates there is no team. I couldn’t have asked for better teammates in all of my four seasons. You have been some of my very best friends through college. The enthusiasm and hard work of our team has truly amazed me. Tera – my co-captain, thank you for listening, giving input, balancing me, and telling weird stories. I have no doubt that you are going to accomplish great things. You are one of the kindest and most dedicated people I have met. Alicia – having you on the team has been wonderful, especially the past two seasons when we have gotten to know each other better. I love having someone to share my nerdy side with. I admire the hard work you put into everything you do. Shannon – you joined on a season after the rest of the seniors, but it was great to have you on the team. Juniors (KTKS) – we have had three seasons to share and I feel like you are four of my closest friends. Take care of the team next year. Lay the smack down when you need to but keep the humor level high – sometimes it is well needed. Sophomores (GSM) – I am so proud of all your improvement, keep working hard and growing. Thank you all for making me laugh and laughing with me. Freshmen (AKAK) – I have loved getting to know all of you and I am sad that I won’t get to spend as much time with you as I have with the rest of the team. I can’t wait to see what you do in the future of your cross country careers and everywhere else in your lives. The rest of the seasons will go by even faster so enjoy it while you have it. To all my past teammates – thank you for everything you taught me and for all of your encouragement (then and now). Mom and Dad, without you my concept of hard work would be much different. I admire both of you so much for all you do. Thank you for everything you have taught me and for all of the opportunities and support you have given me in my running and academic lives. Erik and Lindsey, thank you for listening to me, supporting me and making me laugh. I couldn’t ask for better siblings. Grandpa Boat, thank you for coming to my meets and cheering despite any bad weather. You are one of the best people to see after a race whether it was a good one or bad one. Without my friends I wouldn’t be running cross country – literally. Liz and April – thank you for making me run a ten mile race and then join cross country as a senior in high school. You convinced me that I could actually run and then kept cheering for me when I continued. All my past roommates and ROOMMATE – thank you for listening to me worry about hard practices, understanding my schedule, and through it all still staying friends with me. Maggie – thanks for all your humor on the team for the first two years. I have missed you the past two years, but I’m glad we got to bond then and stay friends this long. Dust – thank you for your continuing encouragement, making me laugh when I have a bad day and for spending time with me even when I barely have minutes to spare. To all my other friends, thank you for cheering me on and giving me support even when I can’t visit as much as I’d like. Finally, what would a team be without coaches? Ward – thank you everything you have done for our program and for me as a runner. I know I am not the best runner on the team, but you have given me the chance to find out what I can do. I have become more confident in my abilities and I have had more chances to succeed due to your knowledge of running and running injuries. Every workout you planned was a challenge and I dreaded a lot of the hard days, but they really prepared me to get out and race. Lastly, thank you for having confidence in me as a leader and captain. Brett – In only one year I have learned a lot from you. Thank you for turning on some intensity and pushing me. You really helped me focus as a racer this season. Skemp – thank you for giving me a chance to be on a colligate team and making running fun for me. I admire how free of a life you live and your enthusiasm you have for everything you do. I started without a clue of what I was doing on a race course and now I love the feeling of stepping up to the line with my team to show what we have been working for – I became excited about running! Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” To all the returning runners, running without enthusiasm is just running – you need enthusiasm to race. The enthusiasm of everyone involved in my four years on the SMU cross country team has helped me bring it to an end in a very positive light. Cross country has been a part of my life at SMU and I know once it settles in that it is really over, I will be able to look back and appreciate the friendships, memories, structure and growth this four year experience has given me.