Two weeks ago, Kayla was reaping the rewards of her lifelong commitment to gymnastics as she was able to celebrate the NCAA National Championship victory with her team. In that same weekend, Kayla was awarded the Honda Award, which is given to the top collegiate individual gymnast of the year. As a senior, this is exactly what every collegiate athlete dreams of accomplishing, both as an individual and as part of a team. Flash forward to two days ago where Kayla braced herself between two beams in a hallway as her entire apartment complex was destroyed by a deadly tornado, and all the accomplishments seem insignificant. I would never downplay the work this team has put in, or belittle the celebration that still needs to happen, but it’s very humbling when we realize our accomplishments can be wiped out in literally 30 seconds.
When Kayla finally made it to the safety of a stable household, everyone was shocked to see what she had lived through. The winds were so violent that the stone in one of her earrings was completely missing and she had to limp around because of the cuts and bruises on her legs. I know Kayla to be a strong and confident woman that has competed (and dominated) on a national level in her sport, and one look at her proved that even a girl with those nerves can be rocked to the core.
Less than two weeks out of a national championship win, and already the accomplishments of this past season pale in comparison to just surviving this storm in the area they were in. Before all this happened, I would’ve loved to catch up with Kayla and written about this past season, and how she has been working her entire life for this moment. But when I ran into her just the day after the storm, I could tell that was no longer the first thing on her mind. Two weeks ago, her lifetime of work led up to the point where anyone would’ve gladly traded places with her as she received everything she worked for. However, just two weeks later, she lost everything, but still walked away somehow.
Today I saw where Kayla, many of her teammates, and several of the football players joined in on the relief efforts and helped support the people that were digging their lives out of the rubble. I know Kayla and her roommates were doing the exact same thing the day before, so I’m sure they had a lot more empathy for all those around. For once, these athletes that have always been put on a pedestal in this college town, aren’t doing volunteer work because their coaches told them it was a good idea. They’re digging their own lives out of the rubble beside everyone else, and making sure everyone else gets the same attention they do.
Kayla will go down in the books as the 2011 Honda Award winner, and a member of the 2011 SEC Championship and National Championship team, but I highly doubt that will be the only memory she takes away from 2011. Sometimes, even being a champion pales in comparison to just being alive…
