As the sun sets on what has been four fantastic years at Dartmouth, I have time to reflect on the good times and the not so good times, my proudest moments and my most embarrassing and, in general, what I have learned along the way.
It's amazing how much how much I've changed with the knowledge I've gained over the past four years, yet it's also fascinating (at least to me) to acknowledge how much I haven't learned and how much Dartmouth has failed to change me. What follows is a synopsis of both what I have learned during my time at the College and what I have not.
I have learned that I am not as good at sports as I once thought I was. High school was a different beast -- a place where one with a little bit of intelligence, though undersized and under-talented, could compete with those who were overconfident and stupid. Beyond high school, talent rules the day, and I have been left in the dust.
Far from being a regrettable realization, this has allowed me to view student-athletes here at Dartmouth through a new lens tinted with awe. Student-athletes at this institution have truly accomplished something spectacular: blending high-level athletics with high-level academics, and it is something I will never be able to do.
I have NOT learned to let the above realization prevent me from enjoying the world that I love -- the wonderful world of sports. Being a spectator and a casual participant in sports offers many rewards, especially if you can claim you played a sport at a high level at any time in the past. I was legit at soccer when I was 10 years old, so I can watch the World Cup and act like I am an expert. I played high school tennis and baseball, so I can criticize an ill-advised Roddick drop shot into the net or a hanging curveball that results in a game-winning home run against my Dodgers. Watching and casually playing sports is a quintessential American experience, and something we will almost all be doing in the near future. Sports is a culture, a way to cement friendships and make new ones, and with HDTV, a way to grow lazy with company.
I have learned how much I truly enjoy watching big ticket college sports like college football, and sometimes I deeply regret not going to a school with more successful football and basketball programs. Being from Indiana, I've always loved basketball. The Indiana Hoosier program, though it is currently down and out, is still my first love. Every basketball season, there is one day of regret where I wish I would have attended a school with a stronger basketball following .
Two years ago, when Davidson went to the Elite Eight, I could have been one of the students the school sent to the tournament games. I could have been one of the students who sat next to Stephen Curry at lunch (or at least near him). When I think of how close I was to going to Davidson instead of Dartmouth, I'm a little sad.
But I have NOT learned that I made the wrong decision, or that I can't support the sports teams we have here at the College. As I stated before, student-athletes at Dartmouth are incredibly impressive, and I have found myself drawn to their athletic endeavors. I still cheer on the football team, and enjoy myself, despite the frustration of the team's recent performances and the fact that I could have been watching a Big Ten school play every fall weekend. Covering the men's basketball team as a reporter for The Dartmouth, I saw how close we were to competing with bigger and better competition, and I went to nearly every game, despite the fact that my high school basketball facility was larger than Leede Arena. Supporting Dartmouth sports has been a very rewarding experience, and I know I never would have been happy anywhere else.
I have learned that my home is special, and I identify with everything there more and more since I came to Dartmouth. For example, I wasn't an Indianapolis Colts fan back in my youth, but when I moved out to New Hampshire, I began to strongly identify the Colts vehemently. My passions lie with my home state, even though I may not live there now, or in the immediate future. It's part of my identity that I've discovered here.
I have NOT learned to become a Red Sox fan or a Patriots fan (or to support any Boston team, for that matter). On my first trip to Boston, I bought a Red Sox hat, which I burned when I realized what I was becoming. New England, with its fanatical fans for subpar teams, has not changed me to so drastic a degree that I would root for the Red Sox. And for this, I am truly thankful.
