Dear Washington: Evanni Roberson
7/2/2020
Dear Washington,
From the second I stepped on to campus for LEAP, you have provided me with my best friends, memories, and opportunities. Over the last four years, the teammates you provided me with have gone past the point of just being teammates and have grown to become my family. What these girls mean to me extends WAY passed their ability on the competition floor, but more so what they bring to the table as human beings. I have had the chance to be around some of the most compassionate, loving, and empathetic women these last four years and I am forever grateful for you, Washington, for bringing us together.
As the classes have come and gone, each team I have been a part of never means any less than the one before, but my own class, the class of 2020, holds a special place in my heart that no one will ever be able to replace. Maya, Maddie, Nellie, and Kristyn have been my rocks over the last four years and I cannot form enough words together that would accurately depict how much they mean to me. It has been nothing short of a blessing to compete and live side-by-side with these amazing and powerful women whom I have no doubt are going to change the world in their own respective manners. I love you guys with all of my heart and I cannot wait to be lifelong friends. Being at Washington has allowed us to grow closer and stronger every single day.
The gymnastics coaching staff at the University of Washington cared for me and pushed me to my absolute limits every single day. Nothing I will accomplish in the future would have been possible without the rigors of Washington Gymnastics. Elise always told us from day one: “I want to develop you as athletes and as young women,” and admittedly the ways in which she did so often went unnoticed by me. The hard conditioning, even harder beam assignments, accountability, “hard times” (referring to our punctuality), and encouraging us to have face-to-face interactions rather than text interactions were all things setting me up to be a successful and powerful woman.
In the moment, the lessons we were being taught seemed hard, but now that I have graduated from the team and have had to interview for prestigious graduate school programs, I am finally realizing the point of those lessons. It wasn’t to upset us, but to make it so nothing in life would stand a chance against us. I truly believe that because of the lessons I have learned from not only Elise but the entire coaching staff at Washington, I am fully equipped and prepared to take on the challenges that are waiting for me in the field of teaching in under-served communities. Thank you Washington for providing me with a staff that was willing to give me some tough love that has prepared me for the real world.
Not a day goes by that I don’t miss competing in front of the best fans in college gymnastics. Nothing compares to marching out in front of a crowd giving you a standing ovation as they anxiously await watching you perform. No one knows this except Brenna Brooks, but every time I marched out onto the floor in Alaska Airlines Arena I teared up. Every single time I stepped out onto that floor I began to cry a little bit because of the opportunity and dream I was being afforded. None of the medals, championships, and titles can compare to the emotions I felt every time I ran out in front of the crowd waving my hands. To compete for you, Washington, was a feeling that will be hard to replicate in any other setting in life.
Of course, this would not have been possible without the incredible staff that surrounded me. At Washington we are so lucky to be surrounded by some of the best and world-renowned medical staff, coaches, nutritionists, academic advisors, professors, and marketing staff. All of these people who were involved in my academics and athletics success (you know who you are) deserve the upmost respect and thanks from me, for developing me into the person I am today. One of my very first memories at Washington was stepping onto campus and being greeted warmly by all the athletic staff. And by all, I mean ALL.
One of my all-time favorite people to see walking campus every day was Carolyn. Carolyn is one of our custodial staff who greeted us each and every day at 5:00 AM with a smile on her face. I looked forward to seeing her every single day and she made me want to work harder, not only to respect all the facilities we are able to use at Washington, but to also respect every single person I came in contact with. Big or small, Carolyn made me realize everyone is just as important as the person next to them.
In the end, I am going to miss the bubble Washington provided me that allowed me to make mistakes and grow from them. I am going to miss the unwavering support from every person I came in contact with in the athletics village. I am going to miss Conibear, Ackerley, the locker room, the training room, the weight room, and the pit stop. But above all, I am going to miss the feeling of home you provided me for the last four years. Thank you, Washington, for making me into the person I am today. The lessons, experiences, and memories you have given me are something I will never forget.
Written with the most love,
Evanni Roberson
