A Homecoming to Remember

I AM A DARTMOUTH GROUPIE! Every year I drag my family to the Homecoming festivities. They roll their eyes, but come. I love the parade with all the classes, bands and teams marching all over town and the freshmen sweeping in at the end of parade. I actually go to the front of Dartmouth Hall and LISTEN to the speeches. I don’t want to miss anything. Then there is the bonfire. It is spectacular.

This Homecoming was special to me. Our women’s basketball alumnae came home to Hanover for the weekend. Thirty women from the class of 1979 to the class of 2006 returned to celebrate our great basketball tradition. They celebrated as only our players can. They talked and laughed. They played three-on-three with the current team, attended practice, had a banquet and watched a pictorial history of the program. What amazed me the most was that regardless of the amount of time between meetings, our conversations picked up right where they were left off. And then there was the laughter — we laughed so much it hurt.

But it was not all about them. The alums were anxious to meet our current players. They wanted to know “THE TEAM”. Knowing the names and statistics off the website was not enough. Watching streamed games online was not enough. Our alums are not fans; they are a part of us. And they wanted to share their precious time with our current team. They met formally and informally with each other and with us.

On Sunday morning everyone rolled out of bed for one final meeting. Alums from all walks of life met with the team for a mentoring session. A businesswoman, lawyer, doctor, teacher, professor and pilot told their stories. They offered advice not only on careers, but also on life itself. The alums returned to this place to do what they have always done — give back. The big secret to the success of this program is that each generation has left our program better than they found it. That tradition is alive and well.  This weekend it was passed onto to our current players.

I will treasure this Homecoming. I am amazed at the accomplishments of our alums. I am proud of the women they have become. I am blessed to know them. They have put a permanent smile on my face.

- Coach Wielgus