Kalyn and her biggest fans on Senior Night

A long write-up from a very special night! It was Kalyn’s last game as a player on the SFU volleyball team and the last game of the season for the team. She and four other seniors were introduced individually to the crowd and honoured before the match started. The other players formed 2 lines and held their hands up to form a ‘corridor’ for each player and her significant others to walk through onto the floor. When it was Kalyn’s turn, she, Renata and James led the way, followed by Krista, Spencer, G and me. We were delighted to be included. We stood in front of the net with the coach and staff as Kalyn was introduced by the announcer. He gave a good summary of her statistics and degree information. Then we walked by the coach and staff to shake hands and thank them. I held out my hand to shake the coach’s hand. She pulled me towards her and gave me a big hug, saying that we’ve been Super Fans, then she gave G a big hug too! The team won the final match, three sets to one. Kalyn played so well. Unfortunately because of two recent losses, the team didn’t make the conference playoffs, but ending the season with a win in front of a very enthusiastic crowd was great. Players, families and friends then gathered for pizza, drinks, and to listen to the coach talk about each player and present each with a gift of framed photos inside a large frame as a reminder of good times at SFU. Lovely to hear how she acknowledged the contributions of each. Kalyn has been a ‘steady Eddy’, always played consistently well, a team leader, so encouraging of other players, a ‘rock’, as the coach called her. She’ll be missed. One of the other middle blockers, Ezawa, has two years of eligibility left and told Kalyn that she watched her closely both in practices and games, that she's learned so much from Kalyn, and that Kalyn is her hero. She asked Kalyn if she could have Kalyn’s number next year, #17.  At the gathering, I talked to Ezawa and gave her the history behind Kalyn wearing #17. G was a very good athlete and 17 was his number. Years ago, Kalyn asked Gramps if she could wear #17, and he told her that she could, so she 'inherited' it from him. She’s worn it whenever it was possible to choose her own number in every in sport she played. I told Ezawa that we’ve really enjoyed watching her play, and we’re happy that she’ll be wearing that number for her final two years. She cried and gave me several hugs, and said that she’d do her best to make all of us proud. I have no doubt that she will.
Plenty of emotions from players and families, lots of tears and hugs, so many photos taken. Hard to believe how the time has passed so quickly. Kalyn red-shirted her first year with the team, then a year was lost because of Covid. She graduated last May but decided to come back this fall to play her last season, and she took some post-bac courses to be eligible to play. She’ll be looking for a job in January.
Quotes from the website article about the final game:
Fittingly, it was senior middle Kalyn Hartmann (Langley, B.C.) at the center of the SFU attack, as she posted a team- and season-high 14 kills on just 29 attempts (.448 efficiency rate). Hartmann had a team-best five block assists, adding three digs and an ace in a brilliant performance….
"It has probably been my best experience," said Hartmann of her time at SFU. "The last six years have been so memorable and life-changing. My teammates are the most supportive people. I came in so fresh and green and I just can't thank the coaching staff enough for the amount of time they put into our team. I've grown so much as a player. It's been a great six years.”
It’s a big change for all of us now that Kalyn has played her last game for SFU. Since she was four or five, we’ve been watching her develop as an outstanding elite athlete in three sports, basketball and soccer as well as volleyball. G and I haven’t missed many games, always enjoyed making trips over when she was playing. We’ll miss all of it, but we’re looking forward to seeing what’s next for Kalyn.  We’re so proud of her and all that she’s accomplished so far and know that she’ll continue to do well. That’s ma wee Kaylee, as I’ve called her since she was wee!
Main photo: all of us
Extras: Kalyn and her proud Mum; Kalyn and Krista; Kalyn with G and me; the five seniors; Kalyn getting her framed photos from her coach; Kalyn and her coach hugging.  The main photo, the one of Kalyn with G and me, and the one of the five seniors were taken by other people.