Dear Teammates,

It has been about two years since we last were all together. Two years since we were at our last competition together. Two years since we all were a team doing the sport we loved. Two years is a long time, but it seems like it was just yesterday. I want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you to each and every one of you for giving me some of the best days of my life.

Thank you all for never giving up. Never giving up on the team and on yourselves. As a team, we worked together. We all gave a 110% everyday. Even on the days we felt like walking out of practice. Even when we had our off days where our coaches would yell and curse at us, not one of us ever left. Not one of us ever gave up. We pushed each other. Pushed each other to do our best in all aspects of the sport and all aspects of life.

Thank you for team sleepovers. "Slovers," as we called them. Those nights probably were some of the best of my life. Thank you for sharing your love of Ben and Jerry’s at 2 am. Thank you for always being quiet when we would sneak out to get that Ben and Jerry’s at 2 am. Thank you for always looking like complete slobs and never judging me for my crazy hair in the morning. Thank you for making me laugh all night. Thank you for making those "slovers" the highlight of my weekends.

Thank you for your strength. Physically and mentally. You all showed your strength in different ways. Thank you to the girl who showed her strength and still came to an event after a funeral. Thank you to the injured who constantly came to practice and worked hard through their pain. Thank you to the girls who were having family troubles, but still managed to get a ride to practice. Thank you to the girls who couldn’t afford this sport, but got a job and fund raised every chance they could. Thank you to the girls who were failing classes but still came to practice and stayed up all night studying after practice. Strength is not just how much one can lift.

Thank you for being as weird as me. We were the weirdest and the most disgusting team to ever exist. I swear. Thank you for introducing me to the Alka-Seltzer game. (its when you put a tablet of Alka-Seltzer in your mouth with soda and see who can hold it in the longest.) Thank you for sending ugly pictures of each other in our group chat. Those made my day and are still great blackmail. Thank you for hanging my bra from the ceiling fan. So thank you all for being weird in your own way. I wouldn't trade you weirdos in for the world.

Thank you for being my sisters. I don’t have any sisters but finally I felt like I did. I had 19 sisters that were by my side through thick and thin. 19 best friends. 19 other girls to have my back. 19 girls I spent almost everyday with. 19 other girls who shared a love of Chipotle. 19 other weirdos just like me.

Most importantly, thank you for the memories. The good and the bad. All the trips we took together. All the wins and of course all the losses. Thank you for all the t shirts, warm up jackets, uniforms, bags, and pictures. They are something I can hold with me forever. But honestly, I don’t need all that. I could never forget the memories we had together.

Although we all haven’t been together in 2 years, thank you for still checking up on one another. Still liking my posts, and still texting in the group chat here and there. I don’t think I could ever have friends like you again. You guys set the bar pretty high.

Love always,

Your Former Teammate