It Goes By So Fast – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 13, 2001
By: Anne Botica, senior, outside hitter, Ohio State women’s volleyball
How do I begin to sum up the best four years of my life in fewer than two pages? I guess there is no better place to start than the unforgettable “freshman year”. Coming into OSU I wasn’t too worried about fitting in. During my visit prior to committing, I was introduced to the team so I knew walking into campus I was assured 12 automatic friends. When I finally got settled in and met my new roommate and teammate Erin Baker we were convinced that this year was going to be amazing. We were now college students, no parents, lots of parties, boys, you get the drift. We knew playing a sport in college took time, hard work and dedication but we also thought there was going to be time to have fun. Those dreams of living a “normal” college life ended real fast. Freshman year ended up being the most difficult year of my life. I didn’t think I would survive physically, emotionally and psychologically. Volleyball wise, I was struggling. I wasn’t playing the greatest and found myself in pit drill after pit drill. Needless to say I thought I was doomed for the rest of my years here at OSU. I remember calling home every night crying about how hard it was and how much I wanted to go home but my parents always told me that “you have to get through this and to remember to have fun when you play”. Having fun and playing volleyball were rarely used when describing my first two years here. I saw limited playing time and that was something that I was not used too. I quickly learned that in order for me to enjoy my experience here I needed to change.
My sophomore year was one that I wanted and needed to forget about it if I wanted to have a worthwhile playing experience. I didn’t see the court time that I wanted, which affected my play a lot. That year I thought I had lost my passion for the game. My teammates were the ones that had helped me get through my “two-year slump”. Erin Baker and Nikki Cisco ended up being my saviors and roommates for the remaining years here at Ohio State. These two individuals are my best friends here. They are the two people I can count on for support and encouragement. These two people are both unselfish and caring and I couldn’t ask for better people to have in my life. Not only have they helped me out, they have provided endless entertainment to the team. That’s enough of “blowing sunshine up their skirts” as Coach Jim Stone would put it. But in all seriousness, it is because of them that I found myself again. I stopped worrying so much about how I was doing or what the coaches thought of me and just started playing the way I usually played. I found that I was having fun again which helped my game.
Going into my junior year I was determined to crack the starting line up. I was sick of being on the bench when I knew I should be out there. That year I finally got my chance to start. I played well and so did the team. We made it to the Sweet Sixteen. I knew that we were good enough to get there but it was unreal to see it actually happen. Although we ended up losing to Nebraska (the national champs) we all took a lot away from that experience and used that as ammunition that fueled us for the upcoming season. And now my senior year, I thought I would never get here. I looked back at all the things I’ve done, all the jokes, all the people that have gone through this program with me, all the tears I’ve cried, through the shoulder and knee pain and the stitches in my chin and I just shake my head and can’t believe I’m here. I will have to use the senior cliques and say, “it goes by so fast”. And it really does. Four years later here I am, still at OSU, captain of the ninth best team in the country, happy, somewhat healthy (as healthy as a senior in any sport can be) competing for a Big Ten championship. And the reason I am still here and have the chance to compete for this honor is because of my team. I have never been a part of something so special.
People aren’t going to remember my name for the things I’ve done on the court, I’m not an All-American, I haven’t left any significant trademarks or have broken any records but the people that will remember me are my teammates. That is really all is important to me. I have lived day after day with these girls, everyone doing what they were asked to do and doing it at full go. You see, during my first three years we didn’t win a Big Ten championship or even reached the final four but now those very things might be a possibility for us this year. What my team has done over the years was prove to people that we are a hard-working group that works and cares for eachother.
The experiences and NCAA appearances, in my mind, don’t necessarily stand out as much as the people do. Don’t get me wrong, beating Penn State on their own court in 3 games will be a game I will never forget. I will leave OSU with a great degree in education, unforgettable volleyball experiences and most importantly friends that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
I will remember the trips on the tiny plane that always seem to have terrible turbulence, all the subs we have eaten over the years, all the times Baker has made us laugh with her two left feet, the words Nikki seems to form and try to pass off as English, the classic lines that Jim uses in practice, the pit drills, the dig-vid, Heather and her impressions of Simpson’s characters, Ashley in her own world, Stacey and her new found up-do… the list goes on. These people are my life and without them my life would be very dull. Not only will I remember my teammates of the 2001 season, the teammates and friends that have been a part of my experience at OSU are just as important.
My time at OSU has been amazing. I don’t think I could have asked for a better senior year. As my season comes to an end, and I have to hang up my shoes and pass my jersey on to an upcoming freshman I am relieved that the “new” Bucks will have people like Suzie, Shelley and Katie to look up to. My times on the court and off the court with my teammates are ones I will laugh about and re-tell everytime we get together forever. I cannot say enough about the people associated with OSU volleyball so all I can say is Thank you. I will take my memories, my new found hatred for the state of Michigan and anything associated with it to the grave because I am now and forever a BUCKEYE.
