In My Own Words: Andrea Gomez

As we move forward through this current period of uncertainty, Wright State Athletics has continued to live our P.S.A. model and transform the lives of our student-athletes: First, as People; Second, as Students; and Third, as Athletes. With those principles in mind, we have opened the floor to our student-athletes, and our Raiders have opened up and written first-hand accounts of how their daily lives have changed in this new series "In My Own Words."

This letter is from Andrea Gomez, a senior on the women's soccer team and the 2019-20 vice president of external operations for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

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Honestly, it all happened so fast that it took a while to feel real. I remember serving at the restaurant I work at and nervously glancing at the TV. It felt like between every customer's order, one additional thing got canceled.

"Would you like corn or flour tortillas with those fajitas?"

Universities might be closing soon.

"Need more chips?"

Wright State is switching to all online.

"Can I get you another margarita?"

Andrea, the games you are coaching this week have been canceled.

"How's that burrito supreme tasting?"

You can't go get your coaching license anymore.

"Can I clear those plates out of your way?"

All spring sports are canceled.

This last one made me sick to my stomach. A teammate working with me rushed over with the news. She was devastated for all the spring athletes. Each tweet from one of them she read broke our hearts a little more. It wasn't that big of a blow to us, we were a fall sport and had experienced all of the devastating emotions of one's college career ending months ago. But having already been there, we knew how hard this type of news was going to be to deal with for our friends. The denial, the tears, and the grief of seeing something you had dedicated most of your life to come to an end was now the reality of thousands of college athletes across the nation. And it came out of nowhere. At least we had time to prepare, but they were completely blindsided.

I'd be lying if I said I am completely calm about the situation. I have found myself lately in a whirlwind of 'I was supposed to…' As a new coach, I was supposed to be traveling to tournaments to watch my players' hard work bring them success in real games. I was supposed to keep going to lifting and practices whenever I could because I missed my college team. I was supposed to road trip to Cleveland with my roommate to present yearlong research at a conference. I was supposed to be savoring my last semester of college with my friends and celebrating four years of hard work at our graduation ceremony. I was supposed to be going to China in May to study abroad. Thinking of China, it is so intriguing to think that our "new normal" now was their new normal months ago. While we were going to school, competing in sports, attending large events, eating out, and traveling, a country of 1.428 billion was shut in, frightened, burying their friends and family members, and seeing the worst of this pandemic rise. Now that this has hopefully passed for them, it has become the rest of the world's turn.

Along with thousands of other college students, I am now finishing my undergrad degree online, struggling to establish a routine, stay focused, and not eat all of my quarantine snacks in one sitting. I miss being in proximity with my friends and having the freedom to venture into the world without worry of getting too close or inadvertently hurting someone. I miss my family in Mexico and a closed border worries me should someone I care about get sick 2,000 miles away. But, I know I am not alone in this. It is surreal to realize that for once, the entire world is in this together. There is not a single person that has not been affected and on a happier note, it has been an opportunity to see the world unite like never before.

Doctors, researchers, and scientists are collaborating from different countries to discuss treatments and better ways to engineer ventilators; companies are repurposing their businesses to make more face masks or hand sanitizer; schoolteachers and coaches tirelessly find ways to virtually continue to educate; grocery stores, truck drivers, and delivery workers keep people fed; everyone keeps creating amazing content on TikTok to keep us entertained; there are too many examples for a single letter but looking at how people have come together makes me feel warm inside.

As for me, I am currently falling into a new routine of online lectures, too many workout challenges, and six-feet away picnics with friends. I am living with my family again except once a week I still go to physical therapy and spend the day in Dayton, which I love because it reminds me of how much I've learned to call that place home. And I realize I am missing a few 'I was supposed to's.'

I was supposed to miss seeing my brothers learn how to ride a bike but now I get to witness it. I was supposed to have to sit out injured on the marathon I signed up for in May, but postponing it means I get to run it in October. I was supposed to continue to worry about the insignificant little worries in life, but COVID has shifted my perspective on what's important. I was supposed to live life at too fast of a pace, and now I am forced to slow down and appreciate each day as it comes.

For now, this new normal is okay with me. It is definitely strange, it can get scary at times seeing the reality of the situation on the news, but it has also brought some good. While I am thankful for all of the Zoom/Skype/WebEx meetings our athletic department, faculty, and others have set up to keep us connected, I cannot wait for the day where each of us can reunite physically with the people and places we love. Until then I hope I can stay present and enjoy each day as it comes because one day we will look back on this with fondness as the rare time where we didn't have to be anywhere. We could all be home together, cooking dinner, laughing, creating, and supporting each other like no other time period in history allowed us to before.

Sincerely,
Andrea Gomez

Players Mentioned

Andrea Gomez

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