JULY 25, 2021: A GOOD SLEEP IN MORNING!
I got a little under 10 hours of sleep. Wow, I feel amazing! SO READY for this big game day. Of course, first thing I do is spit in my COVID tube. Next, braid some people’s hair and then today I got my hair braided because it’s double braid Sunday! A tradition I’ve been doing since college. Then into breakfast where there was a surprise pancake station, YUM! You bet I snagged a couple pancakes. The food in the athlete dining hall has been SO GOOD! We are so so grateful to have a food service open 24 hours, they are fueling 10,000+ athletes. After breakfast we head on over to our bus depot where the bus picks us up. We are always on a very strict schedule to keep everything on time so you definitely do not want to be late!
Once we arrive to the stadium we head to our locker room where there is always food and water waiting for us. It really is crazy to see just how many people are working their butt off to make our dreams come true. This event would not be possible without these volunteers!
We are headed to take pre-game BP on the field! Until my check in after the game… I feel something really special happening today! GO CANADA 🇨🇦🇨🇦
Well.. lots of emotion after that game. For those who didn’t tune in we went to extras with Japan and lost 1-0. The heartache is real. The blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the last four years to get into a gold medal game just slipped through our fingers. Battling back and fourth and just couldn’t come up with a timely hit. A nail biter to the end. I couldn’t help but let some tears out. The love and the want that all of us had to win today was a feeling that is so hard to describe. Unfortunately, no matter how bad you want something sometimes it doesn’t happen. That’s what happened today. We left our hearts out on that field.
Yes, there is still work to be done and history can still be made BUT to take the night and allow yourself to feel the emotions you are feeling is completely understandable. BUT, we all know when the sun comes up tomorrow we have another job to do. That job. TO BEAT ITALY and secure a spot in the bronze medal game.
As I lay here in bed before shutting my eyes I know and still believe that we will be coming home with some hardware. We have one more job to get done. We WILL bounce back.
Three games left with this team. I choose them any day of the week. I love them everyday I step on the field with them. Cherishing all these special moments while I can.
Until next time.. goodnight from Japan and always remember.. GO CANADA
CLICK HERE TO READ KELSEY’S DIARIES AND OTHER STORIES RELATED TO SOUTHERN ARIZONANS IN THE TOKYO OLYMPICS
Kelsey Harshman (Jenkins) was a standout softball and soccer player at Sabino before she went on to star for Wisconsin where she earned multiple recognitions:
Three-time Academic All-Big Ten (2016, 2017, 2018)
First three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection in program history
2017 All-Big Ten Defensive Team
NCAA Tournament All-Region Team
NFCA Great Lake All-Region second team (2017, 2018)
First freshman in UW history to be named First-team All-Big Ten (2015)
2016 Best Offense Award (UW Coaches)
2015 Canadian Junior Women’s National Team
Besides multiple appearance for Canada, Harshman also played for the Canadian Wild of the NPF and she was part of Athletes Unlimited.
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