Letters From Home: Andrea Daves

Published May 10, 2020

Dear Omaha,

It seems appropriate to start off by saying that I am writing this letter while sitting on my twin size bed, in my bright yellow room, with many of my childhood stuffed animals staring at me; in other words I am writing this letter in a location that makes me that much more aware of how strange this all is.

I’m sure a lot of people understand the weird feeling I am trying to depict here, one where you’re in a familiar place, surrounded by familiar people or things, and yet the timing of it all makes it seem surreal and unnatural. I’m sure this quarantine has made everyone feel a variety of feelings, ranging from anger to surrender. But personally, when reflecting on these past 7 weeks the sensation that resonates most with me is dissatisfaction, a feeling of unfinished business.

As a team, we put in the hard work that offseason demands from athletes. However, the pandemic stole our opportunity to see our hard work come to fruition. The fact that I feel this way and I play a fall sport makes me realize how hard this all may be for athletes in spring sports, athletes who had more games, more opportunities, stolen from them. 

I miss sharing a common schedule/routine, a common goal, and a communal understanding, between my teammates and I; and in general I just miss seeing my teammates’ face on a day to day basis. That being said, quarantine has also forced me to reflect on what I take for granted. I know that from now on I will never take for granted the community that UNO provides me with, the happiness that I get from being a part of that community, and how privileged I am to not only have the opportunity to play college soccer, but to actually enjoy who I am playing soccer with. 

It seems that for humans no matter how uncertain times are we always seem to crave a schedule, a routine; and so we craft one, even one that consists of doing little to nothing. Since I’ve been back home in Denver, I have created a schedule where my days mostly consist of sleeping in, reading, biking, FaceTiming friends, and hanging out with family. Yet, this routine doesn’t quite fill the hole, the sensation of dissatisfaction that quarantine has left me with. I can’t wait until this organized schedule of mine returns to being a shared schedule, one that I complete with my teammates by my side, and a schedule which once again includes the opportunity to showcase our hard work as a team during a game.  I can’t wait until I’m in the locker-room blasting music with everyone, or walking up the stairs from the stadium tunnel and emerging to the bleachers and heading towards the freshly watered turf. 

Until then, I’ll continue to work on what I can control from my bright yellow room. 

See you soon Omaha. 

Andrea Daves
Midfielder • Junior • Denver, Colo.
Omaha Women's Soccer