Sports Union April 2019 | Page 25

it is to watch it all end, I still can’t believe it happened at all. I’m so grateful for the op- portunities tennis has given me,” stated Robins. “I feel so many emotions: proud, hap- py, sad, grateful, but more than anything I feel blessed. These past four years I was able to do so much: travel to so many new places and do so many incredible things. But best of all I had incred- ible people to experience it all with. There’s a quote from Winnie the Pooh that sums up exactly how I feel as I pre- pare to leave my career at Daemen. It says, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”. Saying goodbye is never an easy thing. Robins will leave the program in better shape than when she stepped on campus four years ago. She has eclipsed so many records while at Daemen College, and her leadership is second to none. All those days and nights of extra practice have paid off. “That accomplishment meant a lot to me. I knew I could reach it and it took a long time to get there, but I’m very happy and proud I made it. My biggest reflec- tion after was realizing how quickly all those matches and seasons had gone by,” stated Robins. “They go by in an instant. Our second most all time wins just hap- pens to be the girl I played with throughout my entire middle school, high school and college career- Gretchen Ringler. We accomplished a few great things together in high school, so being able to share another accomplish- ment with her at Daemen makes it even more special to me.” You can see the type of leader Robins is. The team has gone through its strug- gles this season - having not won many games. Not win- ning is not easy for any ath- letes. It can easily weight on the minds of any athlete. Self-doubt starts to set in and the losses mount up. While the wins on the score the sheet haven’t been seen by the players and staff, that doesn’t mean the team hasn’t won. Small victories for a young team are just as important as any team victo- ry can gain, and Robins has seen her fare share of team victories. “This season, the best way I could give support and lead- ership was just to always be court-side, rallying for our girls. More importantly, to always celebrate our indi- vidual accomplishments, no matter how big or little they may be,” stated Robins. “On paper it says we haven’t achieved any team victories yet, however, there have been several victories for each of us. Whether it’s something as simple as learning a new shot, or as big as winning your first ever college match, these are things to be proud of and excited about. My goal this season was to al- APRIL 2019 | SportsUnion ways celebrate these “little victories” as I’ve mentioned many times now.” Her goal this season was to duplicate what she did last year. Robins had a tre- mendous junior year and the pressure to outperform what she did last year could have been intense. Robins didn’t see it that way, however. Instead she just wanted to go out and play her game to the best of her ability. She knew all eyes would be on her as the season started. But, she also knew if she let the pressure get to her that her game wouldn’t be the same. “This year, I really haven’t felt the pressure to duplicate my results from last year. Of course, I want to, and of 25 course I will do everything I possibly can for my team, but we’re all in a bit of a dif- ferent position this year,” stated Robins. “We have all worked extremely hard this season, so no matter the re- sults, I won’t let myself be disappointed. I’ll leave this season knowing I did every- thing I could. That’s all you can really do.” Daemen College has been lucky to have a young lady like Jessica Robins grace its halls and courts for four years. She has shown that she is the type of person that the college can attract. Like Winnie the Pooh said “How lucky I am to have something that makes say- ing goodbye so hard.”