Letters From Home: Sydney Schneider

Dear Omaha,

I am still in Nebraska, as I am back home in Lincoln. I have been able to spend quality time with my parents, younger brother…and of course my dog, Eddie! While obviously no swimming pools are open during this time and feeling the need to do some type of sport, I have been putting in some work on my golf game…who knows I might come back to Omaha and try out for the golf team! When I am not on the course with my dad and brother, I have been biking, working out on my driveway and going for runs around the neighborhood. 

Thanks to our awesome weights staff and Coach Samland, I have been able to keep up some of what I was doing back in Omaha. Coach Samland sent medicine balls in the mail to all of us so that we could use them for ab circuits! This has actually been the longest I have ever been out of the pool and I am really missing it, and our home pool at HPER. Although I am close and only about an hour away from campus, it’s still not quite the same. 

I am missing my teammates the most and looking forward to getting back and seeing all the other athletes on campus as well. There is nothing quite like the athletic community at UNO and all the support we have in Omaha. Outside of campus, I am missing attending other sporting events like spring baseball or softball that would be going on right now. Life without sports is definitely something I have struggled getting used to. 

Coming back in the fall, I know that adjustments will have to be made for everyone. For me personally, I have an auto-immune condition, so I will need to be extra cautious as a student and athlete on campus. Since COVID-19 affects so many people with a wide variety of underlying health conditions, I am sure that many students will find themselves in the same boat as myself. 

While this is an uncertain time, we can find comfort in the fact that we are all in this together and we can help each other. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this time. See you soon Omaha!

Sydney Schneider
Back/Fly • Junior • Lincoln, Neb.
Omaha Swimming & Diving