Corona Virus Quarantine Day #219: I feel: October 27, 2020:

As I sit here tonight I have so many feelings and so many emotions, so I guess I will just explain…

I feel sad. I feel sad for our girls who fought hard for a season that was anything but normal.

I feel grateful.  I’m grateful our girls got to play a season, when just last spring, athletes could not.  I haven’t forgotten that fact.  I will always remain grateful these kids got the chance to play.

I feel heartbroken not only for our girls but for nearly 350 girls across the state who were robbed of an opportunity they worked their entire high school career for.  That’s unacceptable and you have my word that I will do my best to never allow that to happen again.

I’m feel frustrated that is is 2020 yet people in power still make decisions like it’s 1940.

I feel empowered.  I know that I will do what it takes to implement positive change in our state for the athletes who deserve better.

I feel tired.  I’m tired because this season was hard.  Scheduling games week by week was a challenge.  Juggling that, teaching in a pandemic and our own life has been challenging at times.

I feel proud.  I am so proud of our girls.  They have fought hard and beat really great teams all season long.  They only lost to one team the entire season.  That team is the best high school team in the state.  Period.  

I feel agitated.  Why did that match have to happen tonight?  I think everyone in the state knows it shouldn’t have.  What a shame that these kids were robbed of an opportunity to meet on a different stage.

I feel full.  We had a ton of alumni and alumni parents at the game today.  To me, that says a lot about what Bryan and I and our coaching staff have accomplished in the last 15 years.  I may be more proud of that than I am of anything we’ve done in volleyball.  These kids are our family.  Always.  If that wasn’t the case, we don’t have so many of them there.  Period. 

I feel motivated.  Someone said to me this week, “if the state thinks you are just going to go away, they obviously don’t know you.”  That text was followed by a “that’s a compliment by the way.” The second text wasn’t necessary.  I knew what they meant.  As I said in my original post, I will not sit idly by and pretend like the decisions made this year weren’t unjust.  There is not one person that I have talked to in the past week that disagrees with that sentiment.  I will fight for what is right.  Always. 

I feel thankful to all the people who have signed our petition and all those that reached out to me via email, text and called me offering their help. An extra thank you to all the people who came up to me tonight, many from St. James but also several from Aquinas. I appreciate people who can demonstrate their gratitude face to face. That doesn’t happen enough anymore and I’d like to change that too (that is why #celebr8awesome became a thing). I am grateful for each of you for doing that and saying what you said. It meant a lot to us.

I feel blessed.  I am blessed to do something I love with people I love for people I love.  I am sad I won’t be at practice with these kids tomorrow.  I am sad that they are hurting tonight, but am grateful they got to experience sports and understand it can bring both that hurt they feel tonight, but also the joy they felt after a win.  There are few things in life that can replicate the feelings and lessons sports bring us.   I’m blessed to be a part of that for so many kids. 

I am mostly blessed that I get to do a job that is so much more than a job.  It is a way to change lives. 

GOD is good.

Good luck to all the teams who have the opportunity to compete this weekend. 

These are certainly unprecedented times.  I have to believe we will all come out stronger than ever before.  I know I will. 

#dorseyshenanigans

#celebr8awesome