The Email That Changed My Perspective
Kaitlyn Zook (Field Hockey - Class of 2020)
9/2/2020
I have always wondered why people, especially people my age, check their e-mail infrequently.
You never know what’s going to be sitting in your inbox- is it going to be a message from your dream school relaying your acceptance letter? Is it going to be a flash sale to receive 50% off that coat you have had your eye on? Is it going to be an announcement from your professor that class is canceled today?
All pretty great, right?
Checking my email one night at the end of May 2019 changed my life, allowing me to be a part of a program that has been one of my best experiences yet.
“From: Leah Settipane- Veterans and College Athletes Together: Veterans Wellness Program Information and Opportunity”
At this time, the end of May 2019, I only vaguely knew Leah, but I knew she was tough and meant business. She and I coached field hockey clinics together a few times over the course of the spring. Later, I received a message from Leah filled with enthusiasm as I was the first student-athlete to sign up for this program at the University of Delaware.
I grew up in a family where being a member of the military was a large factor in one’s own identity. My mom’s father was a medic in WWII on the beaches of Normandy. My dad’s brother was deployed multiple times to the Middle East as a member of the Air Force, and my dad’s father was a member of the Marine Corps stationed at 8th and I in Washington D.C.
Being part of a military family has had a huge impact on why I chose to become a member of VCAT- growing up I heard stories at every family event about times from deployment, or about lifelong buddies who got deployed and their reunion when they returned back to American soil. These stories stuck close to my heart as they drew deep emotion out of these stone- faced men, and I always wondered how I could give back.
VCAT was the answer.
I was one of the eight student-athletes at Delaware who helped established the VCAT program. In this program, all athletes were assigned a "warrior". Our warriors were post- 9/11 veterans who sustained some sort of physical or mental wound from serving our country who are struggling integrating back into society.Each warrior is paired with the same athlete twice a week for 12 weeks. We participated in workout sessions together where we worked on mobility, strength, and cardio. After the workout session, we would attend wellness classes to learn how to better ourselves in areas of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Over the course of the twelve-week program, there were many moments that will always stick with me, but there were two defining moments that secured VCAT a special place in my heart.
Back at the end of September, I was admitted to the hospital for an infection that had begun to spread through my body, causing me to become very sick. We were just starting to get into the swing of things with VCAT; only about three weeks had been completed. Over the course of my infection, I missed three sessions at VCAT and honestly, it sucked not being able to be with the people who consistently lift me up. I felt like I was letting them down because I was not there to help push them and encourage them to reach the goal they had set for themselves and that I promised to help them achieve.
One afternoon Leah came in to visit me at the hospital. She brought with her all the materials from the wellness sessions I missed and a signed card from all the athletes and warriors in both cohorts. She began to tell me stories about the experiences I missed, and how everyone was excited for my return.
I did not realize how much of an impact I had on the veterans and athletes involved, but I did realize how much of an impact they all had on me.
After I was released from the hospital, I showed up to the VCAT session the following Thursday morning because I could not wait a single second longer to see the members of my cohort.
I am not sure If I was more impressed that they stopped mid-workout to come greet me as I walked up the bleacher steps of the ice arena, or more impressed that Leah let everyone take a break mid-workout.
Following their workout, I walked up to every athlete and warrior to give them a high five ( I found out I give really good high fives).
For a while, I was not allowed to participate in the workouts, but I found my high fives were really inspiring to the warriors in particular.
The one day at the end of a session I walked up to one of the veterans who used to be a member of the Army to give him a high five. Afterwards, he told me how motivating my high fives were and how much he appreciated my consistent enthusiasm despite the obstacles endured.
This interaction was full of purity. It really is the little things in life that mean the most to people: a simple high five got this army veteran through a 75-minute workout twice a week for three months straight.
But, this program was not just a one lane road meant to fulfill solely the veterans involved. Initially, starting VCAT, I was more focused on what I could give to the veterans, rather than what I would receive from working with them.
BOY, was I wrong.
One day, I was working out the guy who used to be in the Army- the one who likes my high fives.
(Keep this in mind- I am 5’3” and he is well over 6’3”.)
We were at the pull-up station for our work out, I was having myself a time trying to finish the final two sets… even with the help of a resistance band. My partner was lucky enough that his height alone led him from the handle bars straight to the floor. I was not as lucky, but, he was going to make sure I did every rep in the set no matter how long it took.
That man did partner assisted pull-ups with me by lifting my body up to a pull-up position, then counted down for me the time I had to hold myself up. He did this for me for two sets of ten pull-ups. This was the moment that showed me no one was here for selfish reasons. Everyone in the room was here for the greater good of the group as a whole. No one was letting another out without going above and beyond their potential.
The first run of the program terminated once Thanksgiving break hit. That first Thursday morning we all woke up at 6:30 a.m. ready to make the trip to the ice arena out of habit. Instead, we found ourselves confused and slowly drifting back to sleep dreaming of Leah yelling at us to keep pushing ourselves.
The Tuesdays and Thursdays to follow were not a single ounce easier. Currently, the warriors and athletes from both cohorts are in the process of forming a registered student organization (RSO) to continue to assist the warriors and strengthen the bond so our veterans continue to have an outlet after VCAT ends.
There was never a time that I left from VCAT not smiling from ear-to-ear. There was never a time where I second guessed my decision to partake in VCAT. There was never a time where I wished I was not with my fellow athletes and warriors.
But, there were times when I wished I had more opportunities to be with each person. There were times each day where I knew I made one of my best decisions in my life by joining VCAT.
And, there will never be a time where I do not recommend that every athlete joins this program.
Images and video were taken in the fall of 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The VCAT is on hold due to COVID-19, but will resume when it is deemed safe for all parties
