When Coach Halberg asked me to write my senior salute, all I could think about was, where have these past four years gone! It was just yesterday that my parents dropped me off on campus and helped me move a full van load of stuff into my tiny little dorm room in Vlazny. I remember being completely terrified after my parents left because I didn't know what was to come. I knew absolutely no one here and I was scared my roommate and I were not going to get along at all. On top of that, I was extremely nervous about starting tennis practice. I have been playing tennis my whole life, but what if I choked, what if none of the girls liked me? Little did I know that for the first time in my life, all the worrisome and fearful thoughts that were taking over my mind were wrong! I admit, I was actually wrong for the first time in my life haha. The girls, not only in my freshmen dorm, but also the girls on the tennis team welcomed me to Saint Mary's University with open arms. I have met so many wonderful people here at SMU and have made so many close friends that I will keep for a lifetime. I have had so many wonderful experiences and have developed so many memories at SMU that I will never EVER forget. I am so thankful that Coach Halberg picked me out of so many other great tennis players at the state tournament. I am so thankful he talked to me about Saint Mary's University and I am glad I chose to come here and actually fulfill my dream. I have been playing tennis since I was five years old and the ultimate goal of mine was to play tennis in college and I am so happy I got the opportunity to do that, even if I had to be a Cardinal for another four years!
Mom and Dad- My two biggest fans! You two are the best parents that anybody could ever have and I apologize if I don't say that often enough. I want to thank you soooooo much for putting up with me for 22 years. I know I can be difficult and can be a huge handful at times, but I want you both to know that I fully appreciate everything you both have done for me. You have supported me in everything that I have done and everything I want to do in the future and I am very grateful. Since my freshmen year here at SMU, you have made the three hour drive to Winona to watch every single one of my home matches. I honestly don't think either of you have ever missed a match! Mom and dad, you have always been on the sidelines cheering me on....well mom you have always been on the sidelines, dad on the other hand you always cheer me on silently behind some hidden bushes or trees haha. You have always told me to try my hardest and kept pushing me to never give up and I'm so glad you did that. Thank you so much for all the time, support and money you've put into my tennis career. I love you both sooooooooooo much!!!!
Killian and McKennah- My funny, annoying, silly, supportive, fun, and pain-in-my-ass sisters, I love you both so much even if I don’t act and show it at all times! To Killian, the mature one, you are probably one of the most opinionated people I know and I respect that. I know we have had our differences, but you always make me laugh even if you don't realize it. The things you say are just hilarious and you know how to have a good time, even if you are the first one to go to bed. I have always admired how dedicated you are to school and work. You're kind of a nerd but I love that about you. I can always count on you for everything. I am so glad you decided to come to SMU and decided to bring the badger! To McKennah, the wild one, you and I are very much alike in everything we do, even if you won't admit it. I mean I can't dance and I don't know the lyrics to every rap song out there, but we are very much alike, at least in other ways. We have always been close but college has made us even closer. Thanks for always turning a bad situation into a good one. You're a very funny person and I am so glad I can talk to you about anything. I also am very glad you decided to come to SMU to join your two older sisters. It feels like high school all over again.
To the rest of my family who has always cheered me on at every tennis tournament and who has always been supportive of me, I love you all and thank you!
Kim- Thanks for contributing a lot to my tennis career, couldn't have done it without you.
Grandma- I love you so much! You have been extremely supportive throughout my whole life and I can't thank you enough for all that you have done for me. Thanks for always being there for me and I will always be there for you!
Grandpa- Even though you are no longer here with us, I know you are always watching over me!
Don- You are a very funny guy and a great uncle! You always know how to put a smile on my face.
Debbie- Thank you for everything you have done for me. I can always hear you cheering me on!
Jenny- Geez, where to begin with you...unfortunately we are so much alike, even if you don't see it. I know I am going to regret this later because you know how much it kills me to give you compliments, but I have so many great memories with you. I have so much fun with you in everything we do, including all the random stuff that we have been through. I am either laughing with you or laughing at you, but in the end you always know how to make me smile and have a good time.
Doreen- Thank you for coming to my tennis matches! I really appreciate it.
Peter- Thank you for riding your bike halfway across town to support and watch my sisters and I play tennis.
Dane- You are a great cousin! You always make me laugh and we always have a great time!
To all the tennis alumni- Courtney, Cooper, Toni, Sara, Brit, Dre ...I have had the honor and pleasure of playing with you and getting to know each and every one of you. Thanks for making my experience at SMU so great! Thanks for still supporting SMU tennis! I do have to make a shout-out to Andy Weigman, who was the first guy I ever met here at Saint Mary's. Andy, you are truly a rare breed. You are extremely hilarious and every time I am around you, you always make me laugh. Like I seriously can't stop laughing every time I'm with you and even when I'm not with you, your interesting voicemails always crack me up! I am so glad we became such good friends and I hope we stay good friends for a very long time.
To my current teammates- You guys are the best!
Lexi- You are like my third sister! I have only known you for a short time but I feel like I have known you my whole life. You are so loud and obnoxious at times, but that's what I love about you! You are funny and so easy to talk too. I literally can talk to you about anything. Whatever you do, just let it happen!
Stacey- Oh Stacey....so much to say about you! You are such a fun person to be around and we are always laughing about something! You are a great girl and have improved so much. Continue the hard work! Don't party too hard haha.
Abby & Lindsey- You both are great girls and I am so glad you chose to come to Saint Mary's! Continue to work hard and good things will come. I can't wait to come back and watch you two play. Enjoy your time at SMU! BTW, Lindsey, I can't believe you're always the Medic.
Grace- You are one of the best mafia players I know, the Bible has always saved your life! You are such a unique and interesting girl and you are one of the best doubles players to come to SMU. Good luck in the future and continue to love skulls!
Rachel- You are the sweetest girl I know! You are also the only girl I know that can eat dessert for every meal and not gain any weight! What's your trick because I am still trying to figure it out! You are such a goofball, I love it!
Tina & D- We will always be TBD, to be determined. I have so many wonderful memories with you guys. We always somehow know how to make good out of bad situations. I had so much fun in England with you two. Tina remember in England when we thought it would be funny to put bananas in our hair and take pictures...yeah totally funny! D, I love how much you love to dance, on and off the table! You guys are so chill and I love hanging out with you. There are so many funny phrases we have come up with over the past three years. Like hey respect the pouch, or what up tennis ball in the net! I love you guys and I can't wait to come back to SMU and visit you two!
A Voigt- The only other senior on the tennis team! On the court and off you have always been there for me. We have had some great times together even if you are a very bad liar in the game Mafia. I admire your hard work and dedication. You have so much to look forward to in your life. Do whatever makes you happy!
To my roommates:
Kelsey Lee Brown- I honestly don't even know where to begin. We can start freshmen year when you hated me, but then realized that you couldn't live your life without me haha. You are my best friend, my bestie and I don't know what I would do without you. You are the one that helped me broaden my horizons and got me into country music (so Dad, you can blame Kelsey for that one) and I am the one that will get you to love cats just as much as I do. You are always there for me and we are always there for each other, even if we don't "realize" it at the time. I am the responsible one that always makes sure you have everything you need the next morning and you are the one that picks me up off the ground, helps me with my bloody noses, stays up with me all hours of the night, and always knows how to make me laugh. You are my other half, my other homeless buddy...like I seriously don't know how I would have survived these past four years without you. I am so glad Halberg introduced us freshmen year. I knew from the moment we became best friends that I wanted to live with you and we got to live together for the past two years. We have so many great memories living in the Old Village together. You make me a better person and I have learned so much from you, how to cook for example. You know me better than I know myself. You are my number one tennis fan! We always know how to have a good time, even if it is just the two of us. I know graduation is just around the corner and I know you will be in the Twin Cities with your big girl job and I will either be in California or the Twin Cities along with you, but wherever I go, I know for a fact we will always be best friends. I know if I happen to go to California, you will come visit me and I will come visit you! We will continue to talk on a regular basis. We will be best friends for a very long time like Jwow and Snooki. Our kids and even our dogs are going to be friends! Thanks for making these past four years at SMU memorable! Love you!
Jess- You are one of my best friends here at Saint Mary's. I mean you kinda have to be since you were my freshman roomie! I am so lucky that I got you as a roommate because I don't know what I would do without you. I love how indecisive you are and how much you love to sleep or pass out after a long night of you know what. I was so sad when you left sophomore year but I am so glad you came back! We have become so close and you are so easy to talk too, I can literally tell you anything and I know you always have my back. Most of my best memories at Saint Mary's have been with you! I am going to miss sleeping with you on the futon and snuggling with you on the top bunk. Sorry for pushing you off, if that's even what really happened...we will never know! I know we will continue to be really good friends after college is all over with. I love you so much and I can't wait to live together and reproduce together!
Emily- You are such a fun girl! I was so lucky to have the opportunity to room with you the past three years. You are the strangest yet most interesting person I know. You have this ability to go from a totally mellow mood to this crazy, out-of-control mood. You know how to make me laugh, like literally all the time. I have had to put up with your obsession with Friends for three years now and I honestly think you are Phoebe and I am Ursula. We are both going to be good friends for a very long time since we both plan on getting bitten by vampires, more specifically Damon! You are a great friend, a great athlete and a great singer. Here's my number, so call me maybe!! I love everything about you! I am so glad you're going to be a towny because now I have an excuse to come back to Winona. I love you so much and thanks for always being there for me!
To all my senior friends:
Alex, Liz, Erin & Ashley- You guys are the best! We always have great times together and I can’t wait to continue to have more great times. I am so lucky to have met all of you and I appreciate you guys coming to my tennis matches and cheering me on whenever you get a chance too. We have three more weeks left, so let's make them count! I know we are going to continue to hang out after college and I can't wait to see what the future holds for all of us! I love you guys!
To my sophomore lovers:
Mel, April, Cecilia & Hannah- Team Blackout for life! I love you guys sooooo much and I am so glad I got to know you guys so much better. This has been one of the best years and I have you all to thank for that. To Mel, my detox twin...you are so funny and we always have the best times together, even if we are not exactly sure what's going on. To April, you are the sweetest girl I know. You are so easy to talk too and you are always there for me. To Cecilia, I love how you love to get rowdy and have a good time. You are one of the funniest people I know and I think it’s because you don't care what people think about you and I admire that. To Hannah, you are one of the nicest girls I know and I can't wait to come back and visit you. I will never forget any of you and I hope we still continue to be really good friends. I can't wait to come back and visit all of you!
To the boy’s tennis team:
Lunka, Andrew, Gavin, Puff, Justin, Bobby and Kasel- you guys are awesome...enough said!
To my coaches:
Coach Halberg- You are one of the nicest people I know. I couldn't have asked for a better coach. You know exactly how to keep the team positive and you have truly inspired me. Thank you for having the confidence in me even though I might not have a lot of confidence. I really like how you are always willing to talk and I can talk to you about anything. You have always supported me and know exactly what to say to me after match, even if I don't. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me and for this team. Thanks a lot coach!
Dr. S- You are one of the funniest people I know, even if you are a cat killer. If I am having a down day, you always know what to say to make me feel better or simply just make me smile. You are truly a unique coach and I am going to miss hitting with you during practice. Respect the cat!
Blake- You have been a great addition to the SMU tennis team this year. Thanks for putting up with the girls team grandpa!
To everyone else, thank you for being there for me. I will never forget all of the wonderful people and all the wonderful memories I have here.
It's true what they say, “SMU – the best four years of your life!”
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