November 5, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carole Grills
(413) 585-2703
NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist, Shanti Freitas, Shares Her Experiences
Northampton, MA: NCAA Woman of the Year finalist, Shanti Freitas, shares her experiences in the following article "Pushing the Limits". Read and enjoy!
As my name was called to receive the Woman of the Year Award given by the Smith College athletics department in the spring of 2008, I was overjoyed. Being part of the athletic community on campus for four years has shown me how incredibly talented, hard-working, and intelligent Smith's student-athletes are (not to mention extremely busy!) and I was truly honored to be chosen as the recipient of this award which recognizes excellence in athletics, academics, and communtiy service.
From there, the Woman of the Year from each college or university is entered into their conference selection process, and both me and fellow diver from MIT, Doria Holbrook, were chosen to represent the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). Then, from the 130 conference nominees, a NCAA selection committee chose the top 30 honorees (10 from each division) and finally the top nine finalists (3 from each division) to be honored at the Woman of the Year Awards Dinner in Indianapolis in the middle of October.
To be honest, after I was chosen to be Smith College's Woman of the Year and I filled out my application for the larger competition, I almost completely forgot that my application was still be considered. So when my parents informed me that I was chosen as a top 30 honoree (and later a top 9 finalist), I was entirely surprised and completely appreciative to be included in this group of such extraordinary student-athletes from around the country. I am not sure if words could describe my feelings of happiness in being selected and honored by the NCAA for this award, and even more so in representing Smith College on a national level.
So I began to think back on what exactly I must have put in that application that made it stand out. I considered everything I had been involved in, from being on the board of community service or athletic organizations, to academic awards or recognitions, to any and all athletic achievements. But as I thought about all I had done at Smith, I realized that most of the other student-atheltes on campus would have similarly impressive resumes. I was always astonished by how much each Smith student decides to get involved in outside of academics, how much we Smithies are able to fill every minute of our time with practices, workouts, meetings, or club functions. And I think this isn't because we are somehow expected to do so, it is because there is a drive, a motivation, a very strong determination in each and every Smithie to push ourselves to the limit of what we can achieve.
As a student-athlete, however, I think you push yourself even farther. Being on an athletic team at Smith College is a huge time commitment, on top of the already difficult physical, emotional and mental demands of the sport. However, Smith continues to have 14 varsity sports teams with dedicated student-athletes who are willing to devote that time and energy in addition to their large academic work-load. Why is that? What makes so many Smith students want to push themselves to that limit?
To answer that question, I am brought back to the Woman of the Year ceremony in Indiana. When I was on stage receiving my award, I wasn't thinking about the late nights finishing papers, the physically demanding practices that left me barely able to move, the busy days running from class to meeting to practice, or the disappointing athletic losses by less than a few points. I wasn't thinking about the times when I didn't have time to stop and breathe, the times I thought I couldn't handle all I had taken on, the times when I was ready to call it quits.
At that award ceremony, surrounded by 29 other strong female student-athletes, I thought about ALL that I had accomplished in four short years of college. I thought about all the people who had truly impacted me and continuously supported and believed in me (and there are oh so many!). And I thought about all I had learned in the past few years and how each activity or practice or class had shaped me in some way and had truthfully impacted the person that I am today. I came to sincerely appreciate all that Smith had to offer me and how the challenging environment created by ambitious students and supportive staff gave me the chance-and desire-to take advantage of a variety of opportunities.
With all that in mind, I became utterly overwhelmed with pride and confidence in all that I was able to do, and maybe also left with a little bit of wonder of how I did it all. But I think what it comes down to in the end, what I am going to remember and carry with me throughout my life is how all the pushing and challenging myself to do more and be better allowed me to not only accomplish amazing things, but, more importantly, it caused me to realize that I could accomplish amazing things; that it was all within reach. Now I am certainly not alone in that accomplishment of amazing things, nor was I even close to being able to do it alone. But that drive and discipline of Smith student-athletes to push oneself to the limit and a bit beyond because it just might be possible, is what has left me with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. It is a sense of accomplishment that causes me to look back with pride at my college years, and it is a sense of accomplishment that will forever continue to push me forward to take on what seems to be a bit beyond possible.
