I was at the volleyball game tonight, and just as it is done at any other American athletic contest, the National Anthem was sung before the game. The Dean of Students, Adriane Thompson-Bradshaw, gave a stunning rendition of the song. But at that moment, it really hit me that I am now a college athlete.
Every time I hear the National Anthem, my heart starts pounding and I think about what it feels like to be minutes away from tip-off; facing the flag, going over final pre-game notes in my head, ready for battle.
When I faced the American flag tonight, I truly realized that in a couple of months I will be on the same stage, except as a player. Small things like this make you think about the bigger picture. I am now a part of this university, as a student and an athlete.
What also struck me was the fact that our Dean of Students was singing the National Anthem. Thompson-Bradshaw (below) is one of the highest-ranking members of the university, yet she is taking time out of her Tuesday night to sing the National Anthem and watch the volleyball game.
In this way, tonight’s game felt much more like a community event. From the start, you felt like you were truly at an Ohio Northern sporting event, because everything from the National Anthem singer to the waterboy was ‘Ohio Northern.’
When I visited smaller, division III schools last fall en route to my college decision, every one of them preached the intangible benefits of going to a small college. Now, I think I am beginning to understand why.
I think this is a very common reason why people like smaller colleges opposed to larger ones. There is a greater sense of community and togetherness among smaller universities, whereas larger schools usually have more resources and a greater sense of privacy, so both have their advantages.
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