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Aaron Taske
Missouri S&T
Men's Swimming
Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio
Major: Mechanical Engineering
It was disbelief that I felt at first. Our team was walking into the pool at the NCAA Championships in Geneva, Ohio when they were announcing that the meet had been canceled. It took a day before I really accepted that my last meet was over and that I was no longer a collegiate athlete. I had trouble falling asleep the next few nights.
I have been trying to put everything into perspective. Trying to realize how privileged I am to be worrying about the end of my youthful pursuit of swimming. I began to think about what was left without swimming. I have made so many friends and I matured so much over the past few years. As I make plans for the next few weeks, I realize that the part that hurts the most is losing my teammates. Several of them are from distant countries and they're leaving soon. I will not see them for a long while.
This all has reminded me of a few quotes; "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." by Dr. Seuss, and "How lucky I am to have something that makes goodbyes so hard." by A. A. Milne.
All I can be now is grateful for the friends that I made, and for the person I have become.
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