Amanda Gates' DiaryAmanda Gates' Diary
Volleyball

Amanda Gates' Diary

June 18, 2007, is going to be one of those days that make the history books, not necessarily the country’s, but in each and every 2006-07 National Champion.  It was not a normal practice schedule or travel itinerary for the 28 teams gathered together on Monday. It was a time to celebrate the remarkable feat of being the best at their niche and for shining over  every other team in the country this year. How often can one truly say they are number one out of the whole country? Well, that is just what our Nebraska Volleyball got to do and what better person to do it with than the President of the <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>United States, George W. Bush.

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The 4 a.m. wake up call came early, but it was not hard getting out of bed knowing we were going to shake the hand of the President of the United States. As my teammates, coaches, and I loaded our special jets to meet the leader of our country, one could feel the excitement -- at least as much as you could for 5:15 a.m.  With a quick arrival to WashingtonD.C., we loaded the bus to begin the exciting day.  

Our first stop was the Capitol building where we were greeted by a familiar face in Ally Mendenhall. She is the daughter of Diane Mendenhall former Director of Operations and now Assistant Athletic Director of Ticketing and Development. Ally played with the three juniors-to-be including Rachel Schwartz, Jordan Larson, and myself. As an intern for Senator Chuck Hagel, Ally got the privilege of introducing us to the Senator. It was an honor to meet him because of his rising involvement in the government and his connections in the State. It was evident that he was very proud of our team and really excited that we were in Washington. He took time to explain his current projects and even asked for suggestions, but because of our nerves and our lack of knowledge to solving problems with energy, we didn’t have too many solutions. Except Rachel Schwartz, who simply said, “Just tell everybody to turn off their lights.” We all got a chuckle out of that one. I have to say I was excited to meet him because of his ties to my hometown, he even knew that Columbus was being represented. Small world. Anyways, as for the tour of the Capitol, we got to enjoy glimpses of the prominent building until the tour was ended short for a surprise visit to meet the Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

 

Clarence Thomas was a very impacting addition to our itinerary, as he is a devoted Husker fan who thoroughly enjoys supporting the student-athletes at Nebraska. Thomas had a lot of praise toward our dedication to our sport and academics. He told of his enthusiasm toward watching the Final Four. We was impressed with the real conversations and advice Thomas gave to our team. As a very respected man, our team left very touched to have met somebody so prestigious, yet so down to earth, caring, and wise. The words that impacted us the most included his idea of volleyball being a dream, and someday we will receive our calling. In addition, he really hit home when he said only our team can say we are number one in the country at what we do and only so many people can ever achieve a feat like we did.

Next, we got to visit Maggie Griffin’s uncle Richard Griffin, who is the Ambassador of Foreign Affairs at the State Department. With limited time to tour, they briefed us on many interesting details and responsibilities of their office. With sandwiches and souvenirs in hand, we were sad we had to leave the presence of the amazing people in the office who made our short stay a very memorable one. It was really neat to see Maggie’s uncle in the workplace and have somebody you know be related to somebody with powerful ties to our country. It is pretty cool that he gets to talk to Condoleezza Rice daily.

Now it was time to visit the White House. With many security checks already run and more to go through we arrived around 2:30 p.m. Going into the White House, you could feel everybody looking around in amazement. We were escorted to the China Room of the White House and were told to look around. Since we were the fourth group to meet the President, we were unable to explore and were positioned for our picture. We definitely stood around for a while. Then it was our time.  President Bush walked in and the Huskers were all smiles. It didn’t really hit that we were shaking the President’s hand until after, but as we did many of us worried about what to say to him. To Sarah Pavan’s surprise, he asked her if they had already met and well they had not, so it brought some laughs to the room. Kori Cooper mentioned to him that she was from Texas too and had a normal conversation with the President of the United States about AmarilloHigh School. Finally, The President recognized a familiar face with Coach Cook, and they enjoyed a short conversation. And then our three minutes came to an end, and he was on his way to visit the various rooms where National Champions were scattered.

We were announced on the Rose Garden and made our entrance to our school song. It was 95 degrees outside and we were basking in the heat. Luckily they had plenty of refreshments for us and we could stand under a tent. As athletes, you know we sweat a lot but you can only imagine us all dressed up, wearing heels, and sweating profusely. Even though we were all uncomfortable, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery around us and took many pictures to capture the moment. Many of us also mingled with the other national champions in attendance. Then it was time to listen to the words of our President. Our three captains were taken aside to walk out with the President and stand on the podium to represent our team. Then President Bush delivered a very short, but powerful message. Our Husker squad felt special with the first introduction, including our Husker name and also being recognized for our consecutive number one rating all year. He made note on what it means to be a champion and his words hit on the importance of expanding the meaning of a champion, making you more than a champion on the court and reaching out to society.

After the presentation we headed back to the bus to cool off in the air conditioning, put on our sandals because our feet were killing us. And yes we were all shoe appropriate during the ceremony! We then took time to explore the Memorials around the city, including the Korean War, Vietnam, World War II, Jefferson, Washington, and Lincoln. Looking at these monuments really makes one think about the price of freedom and after reading many inscriptions two really stood out to me, “Freedom is Not Free” and “Here we Mark the Price of Freedom.” Simple phrases, yet powerful messages that many don’t think about everyday. It gives you something to think about.

 

As the sun began to set, it was time for our team to head back to Nebraska to get up for 6:30 a.m. conditioning, school, and individual volleyball camp on Tuesday.

 

With a day full of adventure, this trip was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience that even though meant a lot now, I really believe down the road it will mean even more. I really anticipated this trip because when I was in the 8th grade, I went with classmates to D.C. and when I was at the HolocaustMuseum, I ran into a couple girls on the 2000 national championship team. They were in D.C. to meet the President. As a Nebraska girl, timid yet excited I went up to them and made sure they knew I was from Nebraska too and that I was from Laura Pilakowski’s hometown. Trust me, that was one thing I never forgot. It was almost like a fairy tale to actually be the team going to meet the President this time. I can’t even explain how much this trip meant to me individually, yet how important it was for my teammates. But I can tell you how special our team is. How many people have actually said they’ve shook the President of the United States’ hand and on top of that it was because they were National Champions. What a journey it has been...