Come December 13th the dreaded finals of the Fall semester will come to an end, finally opening the door for students to go home. Most people will get over a month to relax and spend time with friends and family. Though for players on the Women’s basketball team, Marist is home for them during break.
Those who’ve been on campus during winter break know the emptiness the campus will have. With no classes or students walking around, the atmosphere can feel like a ghost town. Allie Best, a junior guard, put the experience in her best words. “It’s definitely very different and very quiet, we kind of just entertain ourselves,” she laughed.
The anticipation that freshman Trinasia Kennedy has on what winter break will be like is similar to that of Best. “I’m expecting it to be really dry, like we were here over the summer and there was no one here, just us and the guys [men’s basketball team],” she said. “I’m expecting it to be really spacey and not anyone to run into, just kind of like chill.”
Though having time to entertain each other and hang out constantly, being at Marist does take time away from players. While students are home spending time with friends and family, the women’s team is having morning practices.
“It’s tough to not be around your family, I’m lucky… I’m two hours away, so I see them at games, so that has been really helpful for me,” Best stated. “Just being with each other you create a second family here and that becomes one, that in the four years that you’re here you spend most of your time with.”
Kennedy is still trying to grasp being away from family and friends for the break, but is thrilled to be with her team, building bonds. “Wow, its going to be hard for me,” she said. “I’ve never spent that much time away from my family, especially over break because I am always there.”
Being away from family gets easier when she has all her teammates to be with over winter break. “I’m excited to spend time with my teammates, they’re a lot of fun and they do a lot of crazy stuff, so I’m excited to see what they got in store for me over winter break,” Kennedy stated with a big smile on her face.
What crazy stuff can you expect from the team over break? “We do a lot of movie trips and I hope we make gingerbread houses,” said Kennedy. “They’re always ready with the activities and they always keep me on my toes.”
Best wishes to fulfill a trip that the team has planned for years now. “We always make plans to see the tree in the city and we haven’t done that yet, so I am really hoping this is our year,” Best said. Until that trip happens, the junior will do a lot of sleeping and team bonding of course, maybe over a board game or two.
As for Kennedy, she wants to bond in a different way. Wishing that the snow comes, she hopes to go sledding and throw snowballs at her teammates.
Best in her third year can certainly walk Kennedy through what to expect during winter break. Hopefully that entails a trip down to New York City to see the famous tree.
Edited by David Bieber