Speech, Speech, Speech!

Looking nervous while speaking at the Senior Athletic Banquet

I got a couple of requests via email from people wanting me to post my speech from the Oxy Senior Athletic Banquet a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask anyone to take a video when I went up to the podium, so here it is in text form. Enjoy!

Today, I want to tell you about what it means to me to be a Tiger.

A few weeks ago, a couple of my teammates and I drove down to Whittier to watch the last women’s water polo game of the year. It was a Sunday– the day after our season had ended and the day of our annual Tigers baseball luncheon. Because the banquet was scheduled to begin just two hours after the opening whistle of the water polo game, we knew we’d be cutting it close, so we put on our “country club casual” best and sped down there as quickly as we could.

When we got there and walked onto the pool deck, we looked totally out of place: Three guys wearing collared shirts, kakis, and dress shoes standing amidst a swarm of Tiger fans covered head to toe in orange and black face paint, t-shirts, shorts, and knee-high socks must have stuck out like a sore thumb to those standing on the other side. But it wasn’t an issue, because as soon as the Oxy fans saw us, they made us feel right at home, welcoming us to sit with them and even offering to paint our faces with Tiger stripes, whiskers, or whatever else we could think of (I think I looked pretty sweet with my claw marks that I got).

When the game began, we joined in on the Tiger fans’ cheers, jumping up to clap, yell, and stomp our feet on the metal bleachers in a collective rumble of excitement whenever an Oxy player would steal the ball, make a big save, or score a goal. And when we left at halftime with Oxy leading CMS, the fans all waved goodbye, thanked us for coming out, and reminded me to wash off my face paint before walking into the baseball luncheon.

We hurried back to campus to arrive just in time for dinner to be served, walking in right as everyone had returned to their seats with their meals. And as I stood there at the gate to the Anderson Field outfield, seeing all of my coaches, teammates, teammates’ families, and friends all sitting together, sharing a steak dinner on a beautiful California Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t help but think to myself: this is it. This is what it means to be a Tiger.

Now I’ll admit, my qualifications for speaking before you all today are a little shaky. I was never an All-American, never All-SCIAC, never even a permanent starter for my baseball team. But my path to get here was a little different, and I think it helped me to realize what the Oxy athletic experience is all about. It’s all about being a part of a family. I’ll tell you another story.

So my first day of freshman orientation was my first day ever on campus; I had never come to visit, never been to Los Angeles, and never even really seen Oxy on a postcard. But on that first day, I walked into the Sports Information Director’s office, introduced myself to her, and asked if she had any jobs available because I’ve always loved sports and wanted to find a way to involve myself in them on campus. She told me that the college was looking for an announcer to call the soccer and football games that semester, and that if I wanted to do that, she’d be happy to have me aboard. Thinking to myself, ya sure, I like hearing my own voice, I decided to try it out. And a week later I was in the Patterson Field press box announcing the starting lineups for the first Oxy football game of the season.

I’ll admit: It wasn’t my best go-around. I mispronounced a couple of the names and even yelled “touchdown” when Oxy had actually committed a safety, but the whole time, the staff in the booth was there to support me, reminding me of who made a tackle, or how many yards the Tigers needed for a first down, or even what quarter it was and how much time was left.

I’ll never forget the moment after that game when Miss Hoffman came over to me, shook my hand, and told me how good I sounded. I was trembling with fear the entire game and thought I’d totally butchered it and that I would never announce again, but there she was, the Athletic Director of an NCAA institution, complementing me, a random freshman, on what I just thought had been a complete and utter disaster. It was uplifting; I felt supported– like what I did had truly mattered.

Over the next three years of my college career, I would discover that this is the norm with Oxy athletics: that people really do care about you and are there to welcome you and support you, just like in a family.

From Coach Wet spending countless hours in the cages with me trying to fix my swing or Brent catching bullpens with me all fall so I could will myself to become a pitcher

…to Taylor and Mr. Sweet helping me four days a week for two months to rehab my knee after surgery last spring

…to Mike and Allison in sports information getting the equipment and space for Jake Blodgett and I to air a weekly podcast called Tiger Talk this year

…I’ve felt supported by everyone I’ve come in contact with during my time as a Tiger.

And to me, that’s what it’s all about– That’s what being a Tiger means.

It’s not about how many hits I had or how many games my team won.

It’s about the camaraderie, it’s about the friendships, it’s about showing up at a water polo game in dress clothes and being welcomed by the Oxy fans with face paint and a place to stand and cheer. It’s about sitting down for a Sunday steak dinner on the Anderson Field grass with my coaches and friends.

We’ve spent our whole lives training to be athletes, to get to this point. And now, suddenly, it’s over. But one thing that will stick with us always are the relationships we’ve developed throughout our time at Oxy. We’re all Tigers. Now and forever.