Some people will never understand what it means to be a student athlete. It leads to bonds that can never be broken, a work ethic that is unquestionable and an ability to face adversity that you carry long after you hang up your sneakers.
After leaving college and looking back at the wise old age of 23, some of my college events blur together. All the late nights studying and writing papers seem to be hazy at best. The parties and girls were great, but are a distant faded memory. But then there is basketball.
I can still remember games and practices as if they were yesterday. I remember running on the track, lifting weights, getting my ankles taped, the great bus rides home after a win and the eerie silence after a loss. At the time, I remember complaining about being sore and tired; but those were the best days of my life.
I would give anything for one more practice or one more game with my teammates. I still talk to my teammates, almost daily, and each conversation always ends the same way – telling a funny story about Coach Gio or about some shenanigans we probably should not have done, but of course we did anyway.
What is my point? I did all of those things as a member of the Loyola Wolfpack. My college memories revolve around being a part of the ‘Pack. We, as a university, cannot capitulate and give up our identity to the demands of North Carolina State University.
For all of the past athletes, who I know share my passion, we owe it to them to keep our history and past intact. Some students will argue it does not matter. They are wrong. It matters to me. It matters to every student athlete at Loyola, past and present. I think I speak for every Loyola athlete when I say: Geaux Wolfpack. We are here to stay.
Nick Tuszynski
A’10
