Dear fellow student athletes,

Here at Corban, I have the opportunity to work alongside the sports information director. My job as a sports information assistant, lets me get to know the athletes on a personal level way different than classmates.

One of the parts of my job is helping set up all the games, which means I getting everything set up for the home and guest team.

Because I get to the game about an hour and a half early, I have the opportunity to talk to the coaches and get to know you players.

Throughout working the games, the coaches get to know my name and slowly but surely get to know yours as well. I am then able to call you by name and thus begins a friendship.

As athletes, you get a lot of crud about being rough and aggressive, not just on the field but also through life. Luckily, I get to see the other side.

Let me start off by saying that I have an enormous amount of respect for college athletes. During the season, you hard work in order to perform to the best of your ability when it comes time to play or compete. You train for hours on end and still manage to get up the next morning when all of your muscles are screaming and refusing to work.

During the off-season, you wake up at five in the morning to train and condition outside, even if there is snow on the ground. Then, you go to your classes, only to go back to practice once class is over. And on top of pushing your body to the edge, you somehow have to make time for homework, exams, work, and a healthy social life. I'm not sure I'd be strong enough to do this, and to all of the athletes who do this every single day, I salute you.

At Corban we had the opportunity to have the very first Golden Warrior Awards. It was a smash. All the athletes came with their dates and you all looked amazing all dressed up. You then procceded to watch your fellow teammates win awards and to cheer them on as they walked to the stage to retrieve it. It was precious and a time that I wish more people could have witnessed.

I was so stoked to be there but also fusturated. A lot of people do not know what goes on behind the scenes. There is a whole crew of people who help set up and put on the games. It does not just magically happen. During the games that are in the gym, one of us talks to the coaches and makes sure you have everything you need for the game. At outdoor games, we haul equipment around to make sure that we can live stream the games so that your parents can watch when they can not make the games. We clean up the stands that are messy so that it is clean the next time you come sit on them. This coming 2017-2018 year, if you see one of us working or live streaming, just walk over and talk to us. We love to be acknowledged and have a good friendly conversation.

See you guys next year!