The 2021 Rams Reflect is the sixth in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of Suffolk teams have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Suffolk.
For a complete listing of past and present Rams’ Reflections, click here.
Ashley Zulla | Hometown: Columbus, N.J. | Interior Design
When you think of playing a sport in college, you think you have four years left to leave it all out on the field. You have four years left to play the sport you spent your entire life perfecting. But what I did not know was that I would be lucky enough to have five. Coming back for a fifth year was nowhere near easy, but my advice for those of you on the fence is to take the chance. Use that fifth year to appreciate all the early morning work, sleepless nights, and physical endurance you pushed through because when it is gone, you will realize how much it was worth it.
I will never forget the moment in Florida that we were told our season was coming to an end. How has this become our reality? We put in all the hard work, yet we weren’t able to reap the rewards. This just didn’t settle well with me; I had to find a way to come back and end my softball career the way it was meant to end. At the time, this seemed like a pretty risky decision considering I had no job lined up and would have to drop a class I was currently taking in order to remain a Suffolk student for one more semester. There were times that I questioned this choice for both mental and financial reasons. Would I be able to stay mentally locked in if I also had a job that required full attention? The doubts rolled through my head all the way up until the spring semester. But as soon as I stepped back on that field, I knew I was home again.
Just about everything felt like fun again, even the fitness test that we all dread at the start of the season. I came back excited to wake up at 5 a.m. for team lifts. I counted the hours until I could leave work and head to practice for the day. I had reached a level of focus and drive I never knew I was capable of. And now I look back, wishing I had one more chance to experience what I once thought was a burden. I wish I had one more chance to put the number 25 on my back. And more than anything, I wish I could take the field with the special group of girls on my team for one last time.
Being a Ram has done more than just give me a place to call home, it has molded me into who I am today. When people ask about my college experience, I am incredibly proud to say I was a part of the Suffolk softball program. Being a softball player has been my identity for 15 years, and it makes me sad to think that the new people I meet are unable to see that part of me. They will never know how many hours I spent meticulously hitting balls off a tee or how many weekends I dedicated to playing games. What I hope they see is all of the positive qualities that this sport has instilled in me.
As I reflect back on my whirlwind of a career here at Suffolk, I’d like to thank all the people who stuck by and supported me along the way. First a foremost, I’d like to thank my dad who has been there from day one. There were times that his aggressive coaching style angered me beyond explanation, but I couldn’t be more thankful that he continuously pushed me to be my best. I would not be half the player I am today if it weren’t for him. Thank you to the entire Suffolk coaching staff for trusting and believing in me from the first day I got here. Thank you to all of the girls I was blessed to play next to. I’m grateful to say I’ll be leaving this program with friends that will last a lifetime.
And finally, to all the athletes that were affected by COVID-19, I suggest you take advantage of the time you have left here. Coming back to play one last year was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I promise you will not regret giving it one last go. This is the last chance you get at leaving it all on the field.