April 9, 2010
Ben Solomon’s Photos | Thursday’s Qualifying Results
Editor’s Note: Ashley Belden is a senior member of the bowling team from Tijeras, N.M. who will graduate this May. She was a member of the 2007 NCAA Championship team.
Day one of competition in the bag–and boy was it action filled. Rodrigo will fill you in on some of the overview if you read today’s recap, but here’s what I can tell you: there was good and bad news. Good news first: in the greater scheme of things, today’s statistics don’t really matter. Today’s bowling was purely for bracket seating purposes. We still have to win four matches to win a national title, and your seed does not matter (as proven by UMES in 2008 when they won the Championship after being the 7 seed). However, after seeing how the oil pattern broke down and its differences from the practice session, we will be better prepared for tomorrow.
The bad news: tomorrow is one of the last competition days of Josie, Brittany and my’s collegiate career. It honestly didn’t really hit me that my days of putting on a Commodore uniform were numbered until last night. Around 10 p.m., right as I was about to go to bed I heard some scuffling at the door and got up to find a letter. It was a note from Lauren Rhein to the rest of us girls, explaining what we mean to her and her knowledge of the capabilities of our team. A few tears might have rolled down my cheek as I read the letter (okay, so I had black mascara streaks and red puffy eyes–I blame it on my genes of being a girl), but it was one of the most motivating moments I’ve ever had in my life. You can talk about being a “team”, you can do “team building” activities and exercises, but that moment when you realize you have finally become a TEAM….is a feeling unlike any other. Its knowing that everyone finally gets “it”–knows that this is why we practice so many hours a day, why we are missing out on a typical “college” experience, why we all came to Vanderbilt in the first place, to be part of something great with 11 other girls, sisters.
I hate to be brief (because trust me I LOVE to talk) and I wish I had more funny stories to tell you all about today, but it was simply a long and grueling day. Tomorrow is destined to be as well, because Baker is always nitty-gritty. Don’t forget to watch on NCAA.com tomorrow if you can!
Thanks for all your love and support!!
-Ash
