The Royal (Blue) Wedding
21 years ago, I left my little bubble and traveled to South Orange, New Jersey for college. I was super excited about going to Seton Hall. It was my first choice. I’m not entirely sure why but it was. Probably because Red Sox legends Mo Vaughn and John Valentin were SHU alum. The initial rush of being away from my parents and their rules wore off and I was homesick. Like BAD. I made some friends but they weren’t like me. I spent countless hours on the phone with my high school boyfriend, who was still in Gloucester. Who goes to college with a boyfriend anyway? Me. No offense, Guy but we should have broken up before I left. I seriously considered transferring to somewhere closer. UNH maybe? I really missed home and would travel to Gloucester every chance I got. It wasn’t until I stepped foot onto the softball field that the homesickness started to wear off.
Spring Training in Florida - 1999.
One of my favorite memories was the day we picked up our royal blue uniforms. #11. Here I come. It was the number I wore throughout my Hall of Fame high school career. I can thank Mike Sutera for that. Boy – did I have the biggest crush on him. Anyway - I walked to the rec center with my discman. It was a white SONY CD player covered with stickers including a big ol’ #11.
“Don't you dare think about taking #11.”
Excuse me, what?
I heard this voice from over my shoulder. I turned around and saw Vickie standing there. She was intimidating to say the least. Like no one I’d ever met before. She was sidelined with a knee injury and would be sitting out the 1998 season. I knew immediately that we would become friends.
“I see #11 on your discman. Pick another number. That’s mine.”
I didn’t know what to do so I picked #5. Thanks to another crush I had. You may have heard of this guy though. Does the name Nomar Garciaparra ring a bell? It was from that day forward that I become synonymous to my new friends as #5.
From that day forward, Vickie and the Seton Hall softball team (+ Karen) become my crew. From an 0-15 Big East season, to late night bus rides, to broken hearts and one-night stands. We’ve went through it all together. Thankfully we turned that 0-15 season around and played for the Big East Championship the following season. Thanks in part to a healthy #11.
Look at that squad!
This past weekend, #11 got married. Weddings are always a good time to get the crew back together. Weddings and alumni softball games. We have all moved on with our lives. Some of us are married. Some of us are parents. Some of us live on the East Coast and some of us live on the West Coast. When we are all together it’s like being in the Tardis and traveling back to the late 1990s. We might not see each other often but it doesn’t matter. We will forever be a huge part of each other’s lives. When I think about the most memorable moments in my college career, my stats (or lack thereof) don’t really matter. It’s the friendships that do.
