Sept. 17, 2012
Georgia Tech women’s basketball senior Sharena Taylor will be writing a blog for RamblinWreck.com throughout the 2012-13 season. Taylor, a guard from Pontiac, Mich., will give Tech fans an inside look at the program from a student-athlete’s view.
This year will be a year of many firsts and lasts as I embark on my journey here at Georgia Tech as a senior. Welcoming a top recruiting class of seven freshmen was one of these many firsts. From Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and my fellow Midwest state of Indiana, we have brought in seven great young guns who are anxious, excited and ready to work. This summer was a challenge for both the freshmen and seniors as the freshmen learned what it felt like to work harder and dig deeper than they thought they could. The challenge for us seniors resided in the task of leading seven fresh faces into a whole new level of competition.
We attacked a summer of 6 a.m. court workouts coupled with strength and conditioning. We conquered the infamous Freshman Hill and agilities on the sand court. We even dominated in the classroom getting a head start on academics before the start of the fall semester. We achieved academic honors as a team tallying a team GPA of 3.01 with eight players making the Dean’s List.
Through all the hard work and effort put forth on and off the court we played just as hard as we worked, spending plenty of time together, swimming at the rec center, laying out in the sun, taking trips out of town and bonding as sisters do. We created memories that will last beyond the years we will spend here together.
With each day that passes by, I realize more and more that these are my final moments at Georgia Tech, moments that I will not have a chance to re-live. So this year, I am truly focusing on my goals and enjoying every moment and opportunity I spend with these amazing people that surround me as we tear down every challenge and go to war with the adversity that comes across our path.
This year could not be more exciting as we prepare to play our first, and for some of us, our last first college game of our careers. The schedule is out and it does not lack in strength of competition, and neither do we. We are anxious to lace up our sneakers and break in McCamish Pavilion on November 11, 2012, against the Tennessee Lady Vols. As Coach Jo aptly said, “We are going to war!” So stay tuned with me as I give you a firsthand insight into our season long journey.
