Even though I was only at Royal Purple for one year, it’s truly something I will cherish forever.

This great experience would not have been possible if it wasn’t for two people. Although I still honestly don’t know what your titles are, I’m so glad you guys were in the position to place your trust in me and hire me as the Assistant Sports Editor. So, thank you Kim and Brad.

I wouldn’t have been able to do my job so well if I didn’t have such a great editor to help me out. Thank you, Kolton, for not only being a great coworker but also a genuinely great person. And of course, thank you for feeding into my desire to make every headline a pun.

I feel like it’s appropriate to put my little freshman bud here, since you were one of my first friends in the office. Thank you, Garrett, for being someone I can always have a fun conversation with, even though you can’t pronounce gondola correctly.

To Brenda, Riley, Gabbi and Ben: all of you are people I wish I got to meet or know sooner.  

Brenda, thank you for always being a friendly face in the office. I think the staff can agree that sometimes we all needed a happy face in the office.   

Riley, thank you for making sure my writing wasn’t too terrible. Tossing the tennis ball around and just talking with you was always a good time.

Gabbi, you have done an amazing job this semester, even if you don’t think you have. Thanks for always being somebody who can brighten my day. I know that in whatever you choose to do with your life you’ll be successful.

Ben, aka Benji, you have become the closest friend I have ever had in the span a few months. I am so glad for lemon drops and Fortnite, because without those, this friendship would have never happened. I don’t know if I have ever met somebody so talented in so many different areas as you. Wherever life takes both of us, I know that we’ll still be friends. And hey, if we are both unmarried by the age of 40 (knowing us, that seems likely), then we’ll move in together and play Fortnite all day. Thank you for being you.

While we’re on the topic of news editors, I would like to congratulate you, Nicole, on getting whatever title Kim has. Also, I’m still upset you got Jon Snow as your Game of Thrones character. Because if anyone deserved to be the Jon Snow of the Royal Purple, it was me.

For the rest of the editors, advisors, ad reps, staff writers and managers, I just want to thank you all for all your hard work. I truly mean it when I say I respect and admire everyone’s dedication.

Finally, I would like to thank all the coaches and players at UW-Whitewater on whom I have been able to report during my time here. I’ve talked to just about every coach and hundreds of players, and I have never had a bad experience with anyone.

I know I’ll look back at my time with the Royal Purple as one of the highlights of my life, and I can’t thank everyone enough for allowing me to be able to say that.