Hello Illini Nation!
I am Isabel Sy, a freshman on the women's golf team, and it is great to be writing to you all for the first time! It is my first semester here on campus at the University of Illinois, and I am loving everything about it. Even before the semester started, I was granted the wonderful opportunity over the summer to attend team meetings and start to get to know my teammates. I am so grateful because it helped me to understand each individual and the team culture before I even started the school year. When I did come to campus, it did pose some unique experiences that had never happened before. Before school started, I was in a four-day quarantine to ensure I could safely enter campus. Even during that time, I felt the support of the Illini family because they would provide us delicious meals for the whole day every day. Teammates and others would also reach out everyday to check up on me and see how I was doing. Even during a pandemic, the support and love from the Illini Family did not waver.
Once I started classes and moved into my place on campus, I was able to start practicing and working out with my team. My first practice at the Demirjian Golf Practice Facility was so amazing. The facility is unlike anything I have ever seen and continues to amaze me to this day. Everything is kept in great shape, and there is not a shot you can imagine you could not possibly do. Our team workouts are a challenge but worthwhile. The environment is also so great; my teammates and coaches keep me motivated and give me a reason to push through. Although I know it may seem difficult now, it is so we can perform our best on the course and in our daily lives. All of my classes are online this semester. It is not what I expected, but I am really enjoying the experience. Even with academics, I have so many people supporting me so I can do my very best such as our academic counselor, Kathy Kaler.
With all of this going on, the university is going to great lengths to keep us as safe as possible by adding a few procedures. For example, every other day athletes are required to get a COVID-19 saliva test. We are also encouraged to wear masks wherever we may be especially inside the Demirjian Golf Practice Facility and the gym. Despite the different circumstances we are in right now, the resources and support given to me and other athletes have been endless. It may look different, but we are still able to meet with others to assist us. I am so grateful to all of them because of the love they have for their jobs and the genuine encouragement and aid that they always provide for me. I really want to thank my teammates, coaches, and Illini staff for making my transition to college such a special time in my life and making me feel so welcomed to the Illini Family.
Go Illini!
