Nick Bids Farewell
#9 Nick Gorup | Forward | Omaha, Neb.
My time here at Saint Mary’s has been a lot shorter than the other guys I am sharing this special night with. As a transfer student I didn’t know what to expect when I first set foot on campus and into the locker room filled with a bunch of guys I didn’t know. The transition was extremely fast because I played junior hockey with a few of the guys on the team and the others welcomed me as if I had been playing here the two previous seasons. I was worried coming in here that I would basically have to start college all over again…as a junior…and that was something that I did not want to do. Everyone here in the Saint Mary’s community has helped me out through the last two years but I owe most of my gratitude to the hockey team and the coaching staff.
My college hockey career has been a great ride and I am positive I made the right decision transferring to Saint Mary’s. The memories and the friends I have made with this hockey team are second to none. The guys on this team give everything they have night in and night out whether we are coming off a victory or a defeat. Practices, team meals, being on the bus, and games are so much more gratifying when you look around the restaurant, or the bus, or the dressing room and realize you have 25 best friends willing to do anything for you.
My parents deserve the most thanks from me. They have sacrificed so much to allow me to play this game I love. From my dad teaching me how to skate when I was three years old to my mom taking me to 6 A.M practice and tying my skates in a rink where it seemed like it was colder inside than out to buying me many new stick and taking the time to wrap them every Christmas. My parents allowed me to leave home to move 21 hours away to chase my dream in Texas to try and get a scholarship and they have been there supporting me from the first time I held a hockey stick. I want to say thank you mom and dad, and I want you to know that I love you very much and words cannot express how much everything you have done means for me. I know you will be there continuing to support me as I try to play hockey after college.
Finally, I want to thank all the guys on the team for the memories they have helped me make in the past two years. I would not trade anything for the time I have spent with the guys on this team, past and present. I want to wish the best of luck to all the boys on the team and to the coaching staff and thank you for making these past two years ones I will never forget. |
