After trying to master 11 new skills over the course of this year, I thought I would use my final column to rank my top five experiences based on three variables: my success rates, the difficulty of learning, and the amount of fun I had while trying.

At number five, I would place long jumping because I will never forget the soreness in my legs after my attempts. However, I did have a lot of fun making long jump attempts, even though I didn’t end up accomplishing a full long jump. I would be okay if I never saw a long jump pit again.

For number four, I would put cradling in lacrosse. I remember that I felt the most prod when I finally found a slight success. I think that if I had more practice, I would have been able to get the hang of it, and maybe if I actually had hand-eye coordination skills, I would have been more successful.

In third and second, I would put doing a lay-up in basketball and saving a goal in soccer. Despite how they were simple skills that most of us learn in elementary and middle school, I appreciated being able to go back and revisit these skills because it showed me how my own athletic capabilities aren’t completely hopeless. I feel like it was more of my own lack in height and genuine athleticism that held me back. 

At the top of my list, I would put chipping in golf. This is the one sport that I could see myself actually pursuing if only I had the drive to become an athlete. I definitely think this is something that anyone could truly learn and master quickly if they  really wanted to.

When I became the editor of the sports section, I’m not sure I completely understood the intensity of the task at hand. Even though I wasn’t in love with sports, I was in love with writing so I wanted to put my all into this role. I started this column as a fun way to put myself out there and hopefully create some more transparency between student-athletes and non-student-athletes. I will forever be grateful for that decision. Even though I did feel a dread whenever the time came for me to actually learn a new sport skill, I am never going to forget the amount of appreciation and new perspectives that I have gained through my 11 experiences. 

However, I think the most difficult thing I’ve had to do this year is write this final column because of how it marks the end of not only this era of learning new sports, but also of my Nexus career.