“Notes From the Field” with Erin Matson on Chapelboro.com is proudly presented by Chapel Hill Tire.
Erin Matson is a Tar Heel, world-class athlete, team player and champion. Here, in “Notes From the Field,” she’ll be sharing some of her thoughts in an ongoing series set to cover anything and everything on her mind. You can find the full series so far here, on Chapelboro.
I’m spoiled. We all are here. You know the grandparents who have the grandkids for a weekend and give them everything they want? Well right now, Carolina has us for a semester and we have puppy-dog-eyes like never before.
Carolina spoils us.
Earlier this week, I walked into Stallings-Evans, our Sports Medicine building, to see Scott Oliaro, UNCFH’s Head Athletic Trainer and the Associate Director of Sports Medicine for all of UNC Athletics. (Yeah … our program’s lucky!)
I needed new insoles for my turfs. Are there any other high-arch-people in the building?! Scott knows we can’t let these stinkers fall.
Also, for whatever reason, my stomach had been upset with me since last week, so I bugged him to grab some Pepto Bismol while I was there. With no hesitation and to no one’s surprise, he was on top of it all.
It took about 2 minutes for him to find insoles in my size, trim them a bit, plop them in the thingy to heat up (we’re scientific here), and simultaneously give me my Pepto and log it. Boom.
Let the record show that we would be lost without our Scott.
So naturally, I was standing there molding my custom insoles with a mouthful of those pink, bubblegum-flavored tablets, and all of the sudden, it became a sentimental moment for me. Typical.
After a swig of water, I asked, “Scott? What am I going to do when I can’t just walk in here, tell you what I need, and have it magically happen?” He laughed, and sarcastically answered something along the lines of, “Well, it’s not like you know someone who’ll be here for a long time that you could contact when anything pops up…”
He didn’t realize it, but it meant a lot to me.
It was yet another reminder from our family at Carolina that someone will always be there to have your back. That no matter where you are, at least one other Tar Heel – but really many more – will be looking out. That there are countless people backstage who are the real explanation of UNC’s success when in the spotlight.
Everyone has heard of the one-of-a-kind, insane experience of being a student-athlete at UNC. But there would be none of that without all of the people that support our environment so we can thrive. Without all of the behind-the-scenes work that happens so we can just walk into the classroom and learn or step on the field and do what we love.
A lot of you don’t realize the impact you have on all of us. And sometimes, we forget to realize how much you do too.
But thank you.
Dana, Sara, Josie and Drew, Cathie, James, Larry, our Scott – thank you. This list is obviously too short to capture everyone, but this shows you how many people help us and interact with us just on a daily basis … on top of everything else going on that we aren’t even the slightest bit aware of.
We would be lost without all of you.
Thank you for showing up with a smile everyday. Thank you for the hours you spend making Carolina – and everyone who’s a part of it – better. Thank you for looking out for us and each other and teaching us how to do the same for generations to come.
Thank you for making insole-molding and Pepto-tablet-chewing moments meaningful.
Speaking short-term, sometimes we get wrapped up in our own worlds and allow ourselves to overlook things. We all can be better with recognizing that. But at the end of the day, believe me, what you do doesn’t go unnoticed.
After all, legacy is built by playing the long game. And Carolina’s – the one you help continuously shape – is and will always be beyond compare.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines