Dear Beach Nation by Paige Bennett

Dear Beach Nation,

I purchased an agenda in November 2019 with the words "Best Year Ever" on the cover, if you had asked me while I was purchasing that agenda what I thought 2020 would be like – it wasn't this. 2020 was supposed to be a huge year for me. I was scheduled to graduate, compete in my last season with the Long Beach State Water Polo team, play in my last Big West conference tournament in Hawai'i, and something I've been excited for — moving back home to Canada. I'm sure I was not alone with this feeling. My fellow seniors all had hopes and dreams for an amazing final year at LBSU.

The first sudden change this year was a coaching announcement in August. Gavin Arroyo would be training with the Men's National Team and Shana Welch would take over for him this season. Shana stepped into the role of head coach for us – and did an amazing job, we were so blessed to have her. As a senior on the team it was easy to shift to the new coaching staff because of the amount of work Shana put in for us. Liz Grimes and Robyn Gordin have been alongside Shana all season, there to support her as we didn't have an official assistant coach for this year.

When COVID-19 began to hit the news with stories in the early part of 2020, we all watched the news but naively expected this was not going to affect our epic season.

Then as February turned into March, games started to get canceled or rescheduled — something was happening. All of the Ivy League schools stopped traveling. Then the virus hit the NBA and the NHL.

We all started to pay attention.

With big events like this, how far behind was the NCAA? On Thursday March 12th 2020, after an amazing morning practice while preparing for our game against Bucknell that evening, we got the news: The Big West Conference would be canceling competition indefinitely. Then the Long Beach State athletic department and the final heart-wrenching official message from Shana: We were done.

Frozen, shocked, devastated, sad, and in disbelief are just some of the emotions I was feeling when I heard the news. My senior season, the year I had decided would be my last year of water polo, canceled. Done. Over. This was not the 'Best Year Ever'. Flashing before me was missing senior night, Big West Conference Championships, NCAA Championships, commencement ceremonies, our team banquet, my senior year blown up just like that. Instead, I phoned home, booked my flight, had one last hurrah with my team, and flew back to Canada.

It's six weeks later. The world has forever changed, and I have moved on. My senior game on April 17th turned into a cupcake from my parents celebrating the event. Big West Championship weekend has me working hard to finish up my classes. I look forward to our team's weekly zoom meeting, but it is still painful to think about what our undefeated conference season could have been. Last week someone asked me what I would say to myself in January if I knew this was going to happen. It would be to live in the moment. Don't wait. I had a bucket list of things to do in Long Beach my senior year and now that I am home, that list will never be completed. I wish all of my teammates the very best for next year, whatever that looks like. I will always be a part of the Beach. You are my family, you are a big part of my water polo and life journey.

Stay safe. Stay home. Go Beach.

Paige Bennett

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Paige Bennett

Long Beach State University Athletics