Oppegard and Innes Roam Italy on Student-Athlete Study Abroad
August 11, 2023 | Gymnastics
Rising sophomores Emily Innes and Olivia Oppegard traveled abroad earlier this summer as part of Washington's Purple Passport program.
The pair made their way to Rome for a 10-day trip with other UW student-athletes.
For Innes and Oppegard, it was their first time in the city — and the experience did not disappoint.
"It was just like the movies but even more breathtaking," Innes said. "It was how I pictured it but it also blew me away at the same time."
The Purple Passport program allows student-athletes to experience studying abroad, while not taking them away from their sport for too long.
With demanding school and practice schedules, often times student-athletes don't get much of a break to be able to take advantage of study abroad opportunities — which is what makes Purple Passport so special.
A BREAK FROM REALITY
With gymnastics season beginning in September, wrapping up in April, and training practically year-round, the sophomores were grateful for the chance to take some time away from reality in Seattle.
Oppegard, who described her Roman travels as an almost surreal experience, had a hard time believing that they were all the way across the world.
Getting to spend quality time with student-athletes from different teams was a unique experience for Innes and Oppegard, who both acknowledged that their time spent with others may not have happened back in Seattle.
Connecting with other athletes, and each other, made the trip worthwhile.
"It's so easy to get sucked into your sport that you can forget there are so many different places to see," Innes said. "I've learned to not be in your bubble as much and to step out whenever you can."
Italy was the perfect place to step right out of that bubble.
"When I was in Italy, I got to take my mind away from sports and not even think about it," Innes admitted. "Being in a new place, I got to be more carefree because I really didn't have a choice to be any other way."
(Italian) chef's kiss ??
— Washington Gymnastics (@UWGymnastics) August 11, 2023
???? Em & Liv took on Rome this summer with UW's Purple Passport program??
>> https://t.co/3qowA1WwJv#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/VMhPgrokTP
THE COURSE
The class began in the weeks prior to their overseas adventure, outlining safety precautions for foreign travel and what the trip would entail for the student-athletes.
While in Rome, the group was given freedom to explore on their own in addition to times for structured instruction.
A majority of the 10-day excursion was spent wandering the city streets, learning about the architecture and culture of their surroundings, and taking in the beautiful landscapes every step of the way.
Roman architecture was a factor that stood out for both Oppegard and Innes, both commentating on the stark differences in how Italian buildings varied greatly from those in the U.S.
Building new structures on top of ruins, for example, was a unique architectural discovery as the class traveled through the city.
The front of buildings were much more ornately decorated than the sides, Innes described, with seemingly much less thought put into detail on the side walls.
Oppegard, who was recommended this Purple Passport opportunity by teammates Skylar Killough-Wilhelm and Taylor Russon, hopes to pass on her wonderful experience overseas to future UW student-athletes who might want to study abroad.
"I would want other people to have the experience we did," Oppegard said. "Word of mouth for this program wasn't great because of COVID, but we would really want people to know now that there is an opportunity for student-athletes to study abroad."
SOPHOMORE SEASON UP NEXT
Both gymnasts agreed that expanding on the late-season success of last year's Divine 49 squad is key for kicking off the upcoming season.
"I'm looking forward most to building off of what we did last year, but more importantly starting where we left off so that we can continue to grow even more," Innes said. "I think we have a lot more potential based on what we did last year that I think we can grow and show a lot more this year, especially with our new team and our freshmen coming in."
Oppegard and Innes were consistent members of lineups during their freshman year campaigns — Oppegard on bars and Innes on vault and floor — and each are looking forward to the opportunity to compete again with a new group this season.
And with more experience also comes a bunch more comfortability — both at UW and in Washington state.
Both new to Seattle, their first year brought a few unexpected moments.
"I surprised myself with my improvement on bars freshman year," Oppegard, the Newport Beach, Calif. native said. "The coaches have helped my technique so much, so I've definitely improved in that sense. I was also surprised with how close I got to the team. I have really strong relationships with each of the girls, so that's just another reason I'm excited to go into another year with them and continue to learn about all of them."
"We have so much love for each other so it makes it even more fun to watch them all do so well," Oppegard added.
