It’s finally here.
Three long years I’ve spent getting what some scholars call an “education” at this wonderful institution Pepperdine University. During that time I’ve experienced things and been places that no amount of words on a page can ever hope to explain.
I’ve met great minds that have shaped my perceptions of what I considered unshakeable opinions going so far as to alter my worldview on more than one occasion. I’ve seen countries and cultures that have opened my eyes to a Pandora’s Box of possibilities I never dreamed to imagine. I’ve been to the mountaintop and I’ve seen what lies beneath it.
I’m privileged. I’m honored. And I’m a senior.
As I take one final lap around the track of higher education I find myself already reflecting on what I’ve done what I’ve grown to love and what I hope to do before riding off into the sunset. A question rings in my mind now more than ever:
“What has Pepperdine really taught me?”
The more I consider this the better I understand the value of consistency of a day-in and day-out routine that’s provided me with a reason not to press the snooze button that fourth time. To look in the mirror in the morning and tell myself “It’s going to be a good da.y”
And as I compile that oh-so-special list of subtle-to-obvious joys that Pepperdine has provided me one word seems to come up again and again standing alone in intensity and frequency.
Sports.
Coming into freshman year I was a passionate sports fan to say the least. Yet my interest was solely on the professional level where the NFL MLB and NBA captured my attention for an unspeakable number of hours that I couldn’t possibility disclose. Seeing the best of the best compete at the highest level was all I cared about. That is until I got to Pepperdine.
I remember watching my first men’s water polo game at the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. Orange and blue T-shirts filled the stands with chants and cheers that could be heard clearly from the freshman dorms. Clapping hands stomping feet and sore throats. It was electric.
I had never watched a water polo match before a reality I soon grew to regret while witnessing a heated contest between the mighty Waves and one of our rivals Loyola Marymount.
Although the sport instantly drew my attention I was most excited to be a part of something bigger than myself; being in a mob of fans all chanting the same two words: Go Waves!
Go Waves. It became a familiar theme wherever there was a contest to be won. Whether it was a women’s volleyball match at Firestone Fieldhouse or a men’s baseball game at Eddy D. Field Stadium the sea of blue and orange was never too far away.
Riptide they called us.
As a freshman this bond I felt with the student body was invaluable in making me feel connected a part of something bigger than myself; a part of Pepperdine.
I didn’t go to every game on campus but if I had the time I might have considered such a notion. Going to a game just always seemed like a good idea.
The purity in college sports was something I really grew to appreciate and embrace. Not bound by million-dollar contracts or selfish motives college athletes — especially at Pepperdine — seemed to epitomize what it meant to play the game the right away. When it is what a beautiful thing it can be.
A true appreciator of the arts I found myself left with the same feeling watching a carefully orchestrated play in basketball as I did staring into a canvas of Da Vinci or Carravagio. After practicing 1000 times to free up that one last-second shot a Waves athlete’s dedication to the sport they love was an inspiration to me for my own separate endeavors.
I’m a sports writer. I took one good look at Pepperdine sports and then I picked up a pen and pad. Since I stepped onto this campus I’ve witnessed and written a countless number of articles on the poetry I’ve seen take form on the symphony of applause and raucous cheering that made Waves games so memorable when caught in the middle.
Much of my world has changed since those early days living in Fifield dorm. I am far from the man — or boy — I used to be for better or for worse. But one thing hasn’t changed.
My love for Pepperdine sports has been the crutch of consistency I’ve leaned on from day one till now. Campus life without sports wouldn’t be much of a life and this has become even clearer to me with every passing day.
I might have one foot out the door but the other one is stuck in Firestone Fieldhouse wearing orange and blue laces. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Go Waves.