Bleed Green

On occasion, I have the urge to relate a completely personal experience; while it's difficult to reconcile this with my interest (previously mentioned) in making what I post relevant to my readers, I hope that there's something in here that's somehow meaningful to at least one of you.

One thing that has been consistently meaningful to me for the past four years has been the team. From my first blitz to Annie, freshman year, tentatively asking if I could try out, to the last good luck blitzes before Nationals; from Annie, Ben, Carrie, Julie, even Colin, Julia, to Mere, Amanda, Brent, Brian, and everyone else; from Joe talking about his psychotic coach to Adam and Charlie arguing over gene therapy to discussing how to react if a moose jumps into the road; from sleeping on the floor at Thumper's to sleeping on the floor at Carye's; from really caring about beating UNH to really caring about being the top club in the nation;...

Whether or not I take the green shield off my left sleeve, I'll never fence for Dartmouth again. Still, I've come to realize that my connection with the team will never die; my teammates and the experiences with them have had an effect on me that far will outlast my time on the strip or my time in Hanover. Because of them, I'll always be a Dartmouth fencer.

It's been the best time of my life.