If These Unis Could Talk

By Luciana Tysinger

On the varsity girls squad, the rumors of new Unis have been swirling for months.

“Did you hear they’re 776?”

“I heard they have a strappy back.”

“A strappy back???”

“I heard the long-sleeve is going to be cute this year.”

“A cute long-sleeve?! No such thing…”

Finally, the Friday before Head of the Rock, Coach Jackson turned into Santa Claus, Ho-Ho-Hoing as he passed out the shiny new unis to us while we giggled like it was Christmas morning. And yes, the rumors were true: 776 unis, with strappy backs and (finally) a cute long-sleeve.

At Head of the Rock, we traded the erg room for the runway, rolling up in a sea of navy blue and making our debut as the best-dressed team on the river. Our new unis have already earned us some hefty hardware at Head of the Rock, including a win over the New Trier 2Vs.

As a junior, I'm in the last class to ever have our old unis, and while I can’t say I miss them, I will miss the memories I made in them. From my first race on varsity, to a tan line that I don’t think I’ll ever lose from spending seven hours straight at the DRC, to sprinting off the bus and storming the beach, screaming our lungs out while watching the freshman girls throw down for a shot at nationals, the Unis have seen some things.

There’s something bittersweet about having a tangible reminder that the program is changing and growing, and we’re just along for the ride. So, while my old uni sits in my closet, gathering dust, I know that it is making way for bigger and better things.

Soon, they will join us at Blake Haxton for our first fall overnight, and after a bit of winter hibernation, we’ll break them out for what I’m sure will be a historic spring. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think these Unis would look pretty good with a tan line from Nationals in Tennessee…