When I decided to take a short trip home to Vancouver, Canada the weekend of indoor nationals, I did not realize it would be the last time I would see my coach, my teammates, or my apartment indefinitely. Nobody was prepared for the string of events that would land like bombs one after another through that weekend. It was supposed to be a four-day trip home, leaving Cal on March 11^th and returning on the 15^th. I boarded the plane only with a backpack of my training essentials and one change of clothes, excited for the short period of rest I would have before my season got underway.

Then March 12^th: the NCAA cancels the entire spring season for all sports.

March 13^th: President Trump declared a national emergency.

March 15^th: flights start to become grounded. My family and I decide to push my flight back by a week hoping to wait out the chaos a bit until,

March 18^th: my flight back to Berkeley is cancelled.

And by the weekend of March 20^th, the borders had closed to non-essential travel.

It is quite unbelievable to think that all of this has occurred just within the past three weeks. I feel the deepest empathy for all our student-athletes who have had their seasons cut short, for the seniors who saw the ending of their entire careers. When the news was announced, there was nothing I wanted more than to be with my teammates, sharing in the strength and support of our determination and tenacity. I wished I could be back in my coach's office going over training plans or in the weight room cheering everyone on. Not being able to return to school has made me appreciate all the small day-to-day events I normally take for granted. Instead of being able to train with Coach Mo at my side, I have been sending videos of my practices. Not having access to a full weight room, I have one barbell and a couple plates at home with me to lift in my yard. So many people have stepped up, generously sharing their resources so that I can continue to pursue my dream with all of them by my side. My support system is everything, I have so much gratitude.

I have had some major ups and downs since I returned home. It would be ignorant of me to say that the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to 2021 has not had the most impact. Coach Mo and I have been planning my season in order to qualify for Tokyo 2020 for well over a year now. For some, this may seem very early in my career to begin working toward such important international competitions such as the Olympics. But, Coach Mo and I had a plan, and it is through his belief and confidence in my abilities that I never once doubted the possibility of us going.

To have the entire NCAA season cut and the Games postponed feels like a double blow, but since coming home I have been able to gain some perspective on the entire situation. The most crucial of which concerns the word "postponement". Postponement does not mean cancelled. Postponement means another year of experience, of perfecting technique, getting stronger and more powerful. Until then, we keep pushing forward, persistent and unrelenting to our goals. We train like we have no constraints; we train through the frustration; we train through the hesitation of the future. This pandemic is bigger than sports.

So many people have come together to keep my training consistent and my motivation on track and I am so thankful for the community I am surrounded by both here and at Cal. It's all perspective; postponement is an opportunity to become better.