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I received the following note from Ben Thomas, the head x-country and distance coach at Virginia Tech, after the team returned from the ACC Championships.
"We are just trying to get back to some sense of normalcy around here. We did not lose any of our athletes in last week's tragedy; but we lost friends and acquaintances, and we all lost a part of ourselves and our community.
We did decide to go on to compete at the ACC Championships this weekend. It turned out to be a great step forward in the healing process for all of our coaches and athletes.
In fact, we won the women's ACC Track Championship this weekend!
It's been a very tragic and trying time; yet I must say I have never been prouder of this team. I am truly inspired by our athletes and how they were able to not only cope, but compete at their very best. They really came together as a family this weekend and picked each other up and ran like they have never run before. We will not be defined by this tragedy. WE WILL BE DEFINED BY HOW WE OVERCOME.
We are presenting the ACC Trophy to (VT) President Stegar to dedicate to our 32 classmates."
Coach Thomas added, "We would really like to thank all those in our track and field family who have reached out with their thoughts, prayers, and support. It is greatly appreciated and has been a great testament to the fact that the worst of times often brings out the best in people.
This is truly a great community. A great team to be a part of.
Professor Nikki Giovanni said it best at our convocation after the tragedy:
We are Virginia Tech.
We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.
We are Virginia Tech.
The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.
We are the Hokies.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We are Virginia Tech.
"We are just trying to get back to some sense of normalcy around here. We did not lose any of our athletes in last week's tragedy; but we lost friends and acquaintances, and we all lost a part of ourselves and our community.
We did decide to go on to compete at the ACC Championships this weekend. It turned out to be a great step forward in the healing process for all of our coaches and athletes.
In fact, we won the women's ACC Track Championship this weekend!
It's been a very tragic and trying time; yet I must say I have never been prouder of this team. I am truly inspired by our athletes and how they were able to not only cope, but compete at their very best. They really came together as a family this weekend and picked each other up and ran like they have never run before. We will not be defined by this tragedy. WE WILL BE DEFINED BY HOW WE OVERCOME.
We are presenting the ACC Trophy to (VT) President Stegar to dedicate to our 32 classmates."
Coach Thomas added, "We would really like to thank all those in our track and field family who have reached out with their thoughts, prayers, and support. It is greatly appreciated and has been a great testament to the fact that the worst of times often brings out the best in people.
This is truly a great community. A great team to be a part of.
Professor Nikki Giovanni said it best at our convocation after the tragedy:
We are Virginia Tech.
We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.
We are Virginia Tech.
The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.
We are the Hokies.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We are Virginia Tech.
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