Being an athlete in college guarantees one thing – finite careers.
For senior gymnasts Shawna Ciaramella, Miranda Jarvis, Ashley Quinton and Taylor Patterson, this past Saturday’s meet against Western Michigan University coincided with Senior Night activities.
After defeating WMU, the seniors were honored as members of the team reflected on their time here.
Once the ceremonies ended, the gymnasts talked to The Eastern Echo about their legacies and what the underclassmen can expect once they become seniors.
“[My four years] have been amazing,” Ciaramella said. “We’ve had our ups and downs, but overall it has been amazing. I will miss having my teammates there with me every step of the way. To the underclassmen, give it all you got and take advantage of every opportunity you get.”
“It’s definitely been a great adventure and a good one at that [over the last four years],” Patterson said. “Gymnastics has been my whole life, so I love the team that I have and has been very special. I will miss being with my team the most because I have gotten used to being around them a lot. My advice to the underclassmen is to take in every moment you get once and be confident in yourself.”
“I definitely think that I grew as a person and an athlete,” Jarvis said. “Coming in, I wasn’t sure what to expect and I definitely made some great friends and met some wonderful people along the way. I am blessed about it and excited for my future. I’m going to miss the team atmosphere because there’s always someone to hangout with and I’m going to miss them a lot. For the underclassmen, I would tell them not take anything for granted. Four years goes by so fast and it is sad when you leave and the worst thing to do is try to get through and not care about anything.”
“It’s been an incredible experience,” Quinton said. “The experience was so much better than I thought. I will miss [my friends] the most and it will be hard leaving them. Enjoy every single moment because it flies by and have fun while you’re here.”
