Hug Your Friends A Little Tighter Today.

Gina Savino, Sports Editor

It has been an incredibly tough few weeks. I have not been able to really catch my breath. There was the Holy Cross accident, there was Kobe and Gianna Bryant and the helicopter crash, and most recently, our own community has now been rocked with a tragic accident. I would like to take this time in my column to again talk about how important it is to treat every day like it might be the last one.

Holy Cross taught us to “Love the Fight.” I talked last issue about what this means for us, and how we should take the Crusaders’ approach to life as well as their own sports. It means that you take every opportunity you have, and you make the most of it, regardless of outcome. Holy Cross athletics have shown us dedication and passion, as well as how to take their tragedy and come together as a community. What we can take from this is to always love what you do, so much that if it was your last time doing it, you would have no regrets.

With the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, as well as the other victims in the crash, people came from all corners of the world to talk about how it affected them. As a lifelong basketball player and fan, I am shocked and saddened by it as well. With that tragedy, the general consensus was to hug everyone you love a little tighter. Like how it is with the sports that you play or whatever you do, love the people around you fiercely as well. Make sure everyone around you, whether it be teammates, friends, roommates, or family, knows they are loved, treasured, and appreciated. There is little we can do to control the world around us, but we can be better people for the others around us, in sports and in general life.

The recent car accident involving Assumption students is one that rocked not just the athletic community, but also the whole campus. One of the most beautiful things about Assumption College is how small our campus is and how tightly knit our community is. Everyone is interconnected, and when tragedy strikes, we all feel it dearly and close to our hearts. This is the

time where we can draw on what we have learned from Holy Cross, as well as from the helicopter crash. This is the time where you need to hug your friends a lot tighter, this is the time where you need to treat every day like it isn’t owed to you, and this is the time where we need to come together as a community and support every Hound.

Hounds help Hounds. It’s something that we’ve been told since our first day of orientation, and it’ll be something that hopefully sticks with us long past graduation. But while we are here, we need to support our classmates and teammates. I have been incredibly lucky to have my team to fall back on when I am struggling, and they have me when they feel like they need the help. If the past few weeks have taught me anything, it is that the relationships you have with the people around you need to be given extra attention. There is not as much time in your life as you think there might be. Mend a broken bond, hold your loved ones close, and do everything with 110% effort so you can look back and honestly tell yourself that you gave your all and then some.