I don’t know who said it best. Maybe it was Boyz II Men when they sang, “it’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday,” in perfect harmony. Or maybe it was Michael Scott when the brilliant idea for a T-shirt came into his mind: “goodbyes stink.” Or maybe Kobe Bryant did it the right way when he wrote a love letter to the game he dedicated so much passion to when it was time to move on. Whoever is right, the sentiment is true in all of them. Goodbyes are difficult, especially when what you are leaving means so much to you.
This year it has been my honor to work as the assistant sports editor for The Bison. The stories I have covered, the memories of events and the people I have met all have a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, my time is coming to a close. I’ll be graduating in just a week and starting a new chapter in my life. That gives me a little bit of anxiety, but my work at The Bison has set me up for a successful career in the future.
I want to thank all of the players and coaches for allowing me around your teams and into your lives. I especially want to thank Peyton Padgett, Carissa Caples, Jack Thomas, Peyton Mills, Filip Medjo, JV Long, Kohl Blickenstaff and Taylor Lake for their help in coordinating and assisting with stories, as well as the Harding Sports Information Office for allowing us such close access to the Bisons and Lady Bisons. I also want to thank every athlete that shared their perspective in our “Players Only” columns.
This year was packed with memories. I remember driving 12 hours to Big Rapids, Michigan, to cover the Bisons playoff game against Ferris State University with Jack Allen. Their comeback effort came up just short, but they fought until the final whistle. I will remember going to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to cover the Lady Bisons in the Great American Conference Tournament. Carissa Caples had a stretch in the second quarter of their game against Henderson State University where she went on a 12-0 run of her own, giving Harding control for the rest of the game. I will also miss coming up with “Locker Talk” themes each week. This has by far been the greatest job that I have had in student media at Harding.
During this year’s March Madness tournament, I ran across some wisdom on my Twitter timeline. The tweet was from the Missouri State University women’s basketball account, and it said, “don’t be sad that it’s over, be happy that it happened.” The Lady Bears lost in the Sweet Sixteen to Stanford University, putting an end to their season. As my time with The Bison is ending, these words are ringing around in my head.
I will probably never love a staff or co-workers again as much as I love The Bison staff. The friendships with the athletes at Harding mean so much to me, and I hope those connections stick with us in the future. As I write my final words, I will leave you with wisdom from the Lady Bears, “don’t be sad that it’s over, be happy that it happened.”
