Hey Illini Fans!
I can't believe we are almost two weeks into October. I love October for two specific reasons, it's my birthday month and fall is in full swing. It is so nice to actually have a distinct fall season here, unlike Texas where I believe it is still 90 degrees. I have come to realize that in my free time I love to sit on the quad and relax, soaking in the beautiful scenery and weather. It is so calming and gets your mind off of things. It is said that Illinois has one of the best quads in the nation and I would most definitely have to agree.
The energy in the gym these past couple weeks has been great! Everyone is working their butts off during preseason so once January rolls around we are ready to rock. This is certainly a special team with a tremendous amount of potential and I know for a fact, I am ready to show off all of our hard work that is being put in. We have started to piece together routines and everyone has been paying close attention to detail and fighting for every little tenth. We have been working hard not only in the gym, but also the classroom. Most girls have another round of exams coming up in the next couple weeks, so we will be studying extra hard for those.
Recently, we were able to get in some quality team bonding time as we went to support the soccer girls against Ohio State in their hard fought battle that ended in a tie. Later that evening, we split into three teams to have Cupcake Wars! Personally, I thought my group's cupcakes were pretty creative and tasted great, but it wasn't enough to come away with 1st place. We tailgated at Grange Grove the next day and then supported Illini Football. It was looking like we were about to come away with a loss, but a huge touchdown with 10 seconds left sealed the deal for a victory! It was cool to watch and definitely made me proud to be a Fighting Illini!
This past weekend we headed to Huff to support our volleyball team in a huge matchup against Penn State. While the girls played well and the energy was so high in Huff Hall, it wasn't enough to come away with a win. After the game, we all went over to Sunny's apartment for Country Night! Everyone got dressed up and put their boots on to have a great night filled with country music, dancing, and a lot of pictures. It was definitely a great time for the Texan in me!
Coming up… we will keep working hard in the gym and classroom. We have fall break this weekend, which will be a nice three days off of gym to rest our bodies. Some girls will head home to spend a couple days with family and some will be looking forward to relaxing a few days in Champaign. We can't wait to come back and be ready for that last big push of preseason.
Thank you for all the support, Illini Fans! We love y'all!
Love,
Haylee
