Ball State Athletic Hall of Fame

I thought about this post a lot. I am not one that normally likes attention. It seemed easy to skip it and move on with the thousands of pictures of my kids I take on a daily basis. When I started this blog, I wanted to share it with my kids someday so they could read about everything we did with them as they were growing up. My children attended this event with us, but after the cocktail hour, two of my cousins took them back to the hotel because we knew they would never make it though the dinner and talks. They will not remember this night. So, I decided to write about it and upload my speech here so someday they can read it and we can share the experience together.

Last fall, actually on my birthday, I learned the selection committee at Ball State nominated me to enter the Hall of Fame. I was/am very humbled and honored. Others inducted with me tonight are the 1949 Football Team, Bonzi Wells (basketball) and Amy Doyle (softball). It was an amazing night. I had my parents, grandparents, mother-in-law, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Mary and John, and all three of my coaches from my years at Ball State and one teammate all there with me to share the evening.

Bonzi Wells, me and Amy Doyle

I worked hard on this speech, but I am not a public speaker and I had to speak after Amy who did very well. Two glasses of wine during the cocktail hour and I think I did fine. I guess I'll know for sure when the DVD arrives next week.

Thank you.

I’d like to thank the selection committee for the nomination. It is an honor for me to be inducted into the Ball State Hall of Fame and a pleasure for me to be back at this University that I graduated from 11 years ago. I’d like to congratulate the other inductees here tonight. In looking at the accomplishments of these other men and woman, I am humbled to a part of this group.

I have a little family and teammates here; I would like to acknowledge them. I won’t go through name by name, but I want to let them know I appreciate them traveling this way to share in this special moment with me tonight. It really means a lot and each one of you guys have a special place in my heart.

As I watched the power point presentation, a flood of memories came to me and I am so thankful to be standing here today. Although the cameras focused solely on me, it was never just me. You don’t ever earn an honor such as this alone. First, I was surrounded by wonderful coaches and teammates. I think all of us here would agree that everyone needs a team to succeed. I am proof of that. I was also supported by my parents, grandparents, husband and other family members—all of these people contributed to my success.

What began at age two as a way to burn energy in a gymnastics class really shaped my life in all aspects.  From an early age, I learned by falling off the four inch beam that there were two options: I could give up, or I could get back up on that beam and try it again. I have never forgotten what my years in gymnastics have taught me or the values of my sport: hard work, responsibility, teamwork and perseverance. These I have used in my life since my last competition 11 years ago, whether it was earning my nurse practitioner degree at Vanderbilt University, or taking care of my patients in the clinic, to managing a household filled with a five year-old and two year-old triplets. Believe me, there are days that I am thankful that those values were instilled in me long ago.

Of course, there are a few people I want to thank tonight.

I want to thank my parents for supporting me through my 14 years of competition and even more years of practice. Always there behind the scenes, my biggest fans, but always letting me find my own way. As a parent today, I am just beginning to understand all the sacrifices they underwent to allow me to continue my path all the way through college. I was going to try to sit down and track the number of miles they traveled during my career as a gymnast, but I couldn’t possibly get it right. Between practices twice a day, to meets around the country and world, there was always a new place to experience and another meet to attend. When I started competing at Ball State, I don’t think there were any meets they missed. They were there. Period. You never thank your parents enough for the things they do, so: Thank-you, mom and dad.

My coaches: Mary, Wes, and Donner. They understood me as a college freshman better than I understood myself. They realized I had more great gymnastics left and knew the correct way to train and motivate me to bring this out. Mary was especially a believer in me and she is a nurturer by nature, something I needed during those years. She also made our leotards and warm-ups! Thank you for your guidance and friendship. I also want to thank my coaches for placing such a great emphasis on academics—as much as, or more so than the athletics. As I reflect back on my time on campus, I tried as hard in the classroom as I did in the gym. Both were equally important to me. I am very thankful for the Bachelor’s degree I left with. It served me well and allowed me to continue my education at the master’s level after graduation. My coaches always expected as much effort in the classroom as in the gym and I thank them for that.

The Women on my teams—all four years: I could not have accomplished half of what I did without each and every one of them. Many of these women I still speak with on a regular basis—friends for life. I have found memories from my college years and they all revolve around these teammates and this sport.

I would like to thank the University for keeping the sport of gymnastics. Ball State is the only college in Indiana with a gymnastics program. I attended Ball State on a scholarship, so I must thank the CVS donors for this and also for the donations for equipment, leotards, travel and general upkeep of the gymnastics program and other sports.

The ultimate milestone for a student athlete to accomplish is to be inducted into the hall of fame at their alma mater. I am honored to be a part of it.