Dusty Bids Farewell

I remember writing my fake Senior Salute as a freshman in sports orientation class; at the time I didn’t realize how much this salute would mean. There was no way I could have imagined the how important that good-byes and thank you-s would be … how do you sum up experiences and memories that will last a life time and how do you thank all of the people that have been a part of those experiences? It only seems fitting that I would start my thank yous with the two people who made it possible to be a college athlete, my parents. I can only imagine how annoying the calls that started out with, “I need money for … .” must have been, but I do appreciate everything you have sacrificed so that I could play ball for a few more years. I have always known that no matter if I needed words of encouragement or someone to vent to I could call either one of you for comfort, which means more to me then anything in the world. Mom, I don’t know if you remember this but you are the reason I ever started playing basketball. It seems like yesterday when I came home in 4th grade insisting that I was going to be a cheerleader and I wanted no part of playing a “boy sport” like basketball. You convinced me that I should give it try and that I would probably like it, thank goodness you did! Dad, you’re they type of dad that all kids dream of having. Thank you for working so hard for my brothers, sister, and I; even if you don’t think we appreciate everything you do for us, trust me when I say we do! I love you both. To my siblings, Clifton, Allie, Kenny, Damon, and Chad I just want to take this opportunity to tell you guys how important you are to me. I know that its frustrating (especially for you Allie) when your sister can only come home a couple times a year but I hope you guys know that I love all of you and I would do anything for any one of you. I cherish the memories that we have up to this point and I can’t wait until we are old wrinkly brothers and sisters sitting around still have the same arguments and laugh at the same memories! You are all amazing people with amazing potential and I am looking forward to watching you grow up! Brensley, I know I have told you this numerous times but without your love and support I truly do not think I would have survived the last four years! I can’t express enough how much I appreciate all of the times that you sat up with me giving me advice before every game or listening to me whine about whatever the subject may be, or trying to help me improve my jumper. I admire how dedicated you are to basketball and I know that you will be successful because there is no one that deserves it more then you. Your attitude toward this sport is infectious and I want to thank you for showing me what loving a sport is about. To Coach Stimmel and Coach Z, thank you for making my last year as a basketball player one to cherish. Besides your horrible decision to be Hawkeye fans, I couldn’t ask for more in a coach. Coach Stimmel, I have always wanted to play for a coach like you. You demand a lot out of your team but you do it with respect and you do it in a way that makes us want to work hard. I know I can speak for the team when I say we are very glad that you choose St. Mary’s. I have no doubts that in the next few years you and coach Z will have turned this team into a force to be reckoned with. Oh, and I can’t forget to thank you for cleaning up my tendency to be a potty mouth! Coach Z, I am glad you left Bethel to come down to Winona. You worked very hard scouting our opponents and developing our individual games and I hope you know that your work doesn’t go un-noticed by the team (P.S. thanks for the advice about watching the rim rather then the ball ? ). Thank you to all of the families who gave up so much time to come and cheer us on, your dedication to us is really appreciated. I want to say a special thank you to the Weisbrod’s, Saufferer’s, and Hanson’s as I cannot remember a game in my career when these families were not there. And how could I say a proper thank you without thanking the Saufferer’s for baking us cookies for every game! Finally, thank you to my best friends — my teammates. The hardest thing about today is the realization that when I walk off this floor tonight, it is the last time I will walk off with you girls as my teammates. I think we can all agree that this year has been somewhat of an emotional roller-coaster but when I look back on this year it will not be the downs that I remember but the nights we stayed up playing I’ve never been to Hawaii and who would you rather, pre-game dance offs, talking about trips to Taco Bell, and predicting nothing but rain in the future…I am laughing right now just thinking about it. To my fellow senior Jacqui, you really have been an inspiration to me. There is not a person who I feel worked harder then you every day in practice. You set an example for me and the other girls and I thank you for that. Neither one of us started in this sport, but I am glad that we both finished together. To the juniors — Jess, Mel, Tanke, and Sauf — it is your girls’ turn to lead this team a task that I know you girls will have no problem with as you are all amazing players and people. To the sophomore — Alyse, Nicholle, Nicole, and Danielle — all of you have grown so much as basketball players this year. Next year I better see girls who are even more confident in there abilities because you have it in you. Finally, the freshman — Steph, Allyson, and Tara — keep working hard; you girls were put into a hard situation this year and you all stepped up to the plate. Take what you have learned this year and help out the freshman next year. Congratulations, you aren’t freshmen anymore!!! Finally, to our manager Molly; the team wouldn’t have been the same without you, I am so glad you decided to be a part of this team!  Thank you for all of you encouragement; you are like a team mom and I love that about you.  To all of you, don’t take for granted the time that you have here as basketball players, trust me, it goes faster then you know! They tell you when you get here that being a Division III athlete is something special. At the time I didn’t buy it but today I know how true that statement really is. We don’t play for money or scholarships, we don’t play for recognition, we play only because we love to play. The last thing that I want to say to my girls is don’t forget these words. Play because you love to play and for no other reason; if you girls do that you will hard to beat. I love every one of you and I thank you for being a part of my team.