Dear Washington: Vanessa Wong – University of Washington Athletics

From early lifts, where we walked through the dark mornings, crawling to class with the sorest legs after a workout, and surviving multiple beep tests (barely); all the way to keeping up with my team’s GPA, fighting to stay awake in class after hours of training, and trying not to look too lost in lectures most times – my attitude shifted, and I found a willingness to embrace discomfort and focus on the process. That was when I started realizing what it really takes to be a student-athlete at Washington. 

As I started adjusting to this new life, I also had to find my part on this team, and more importantly, experience tennis as a team sport. Playing with the W on my chest reignited my passion for tennis and made me fall in love with the sport again. Over the past years, I have had the chance to compete my heart out and scream at the top of my lungs while playing next to some of my best friends. (And if you’ve ever been to a tennis match, you would understand what I mean when I say screaming). We’ve fought and played for one another, rushed on courts together and celebrated wins together, but we’ve also battled through adversity, injuries, and cried in many locker rooms together. Tennis has taught me a lot about setbacks, but my teammates taught me and showed me how to bounce back from those setbacks together. And these shared experiences of highs and lows, on and off the court have given me special memories and relationships that will be with me forever.