“To get the true value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” Mark Twain
Schools and campuses are buzzing anew with life, joy, energy, and vitality, after the doldrums of summer’s absences. Staff and students embracing all the potential. It’s the first day of school.
Collegiate academic sectors following the end of graduation events became empty, lifeless, and unappealing as faculty and students responded to summer’s call.
But athletic sectors during June and July? Empty? Lifeless? Not quite what this old professor might have expected.
At Thomas More University, there were no collegiate games, seasons, competitions…but student-athletes and coaches were ever busy…coaches hosting camps for young players with current student-athletes as assistant coaches, then coaches traveling to games and tournaments to maintain their knowledge of the growing field and…keeping office hours with visits and campus tours. Do they manage a real vacation?
And student-athletes? A summer off for rest and relaxation? Not quite.
What dominates the student-athletes’ summers? Work was the consistent answer. College is expensive. Outside maintenance crews, office work, stock and sales, the variety is there. And paid internships. The internships in their majors with on-the-job experience allow for greater identification of their personal preferences within the field. Important insight.
The “athlete” part of them stays in focus and active: finding time for pick-up games with a small mix of upper classmen/in-coming freshmen/high schoolers, regular weight room visits, skills practices with equipment. Maintaining and refining their skills and physical strength, often following the summer suggestions from their TMU trainers.
“Move In Day” gets dorm students settled before the “first day of school.” The potential chaos mitigated by the upper classmen and fellow teammates showing up to share the work…and the joy. Welcome to TMU.
Some of us, remembering the team losses of starting players to graduation, check the fresh rosters. How are the numbers?
One team stood out, our TMU Saints Dance Team. Graduation took almost a third of the dancers and half of the nationally ranked competition squad. Goodness! But…it appeared that considering the fourteen or so returning, adding the fourteen or so recruits, Coach Kara Thompson had doubled the team size for the 2025-2026 season. My goodness. Could that be correct? I’m not known for my math. When I asked her…confirmation.Seems once again, TMU Dance Team sets another record. Joy.
Coaches and their teams of student-athletes, along with every fan, are so very ready for this new year to begin. Everyone exuding the joy. It is contagious. And this year, with full membership in NCAA Division II, their eligibility to earn national tournament slots.
What a lot of fresh promise this year holds. More joy to come Poems inspired.
It’s the first day of school.
Ode to Saints Cross Country 2025
Our summer is passed;
We ran our way through
With most temps in the 90’s,
We knew what to do.
Gotta be ready,
Our season’s pressing in;
We’re now fully DII.
We can’t wait to begin.
We chase after records,
Personal bests, too;
Yes, we are the Saints,
Ever true White and Blue.
So we welcome the newbies,
As they join us right here,
Team’s already jellin’
It’ll be a great year!
GO, SAINTS!!!
Judy Harris is well established in Northern Kentucky life, as a longtime elementary and university educator. A graduate of Thomas More, she began her career there in 1980 where she played a key role in teacher education and introduced students to national and international travel experiences. She has traveled and studied extensively abroad. She enjoys retirement yet stays in daily contact with university students. Reach her at judyharris1579@gmail.com