my story
By Leah Ryzenman
Editor’s Note: “My Story” is a first-person column OR a Q&A feature of a New Albany community member that centers around health. Have a story to share? Email bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com. Submissions should be no more than 1,000 words.
Gone But Not Forgotten
How the pandemic impacted my senior year at New Albany High School
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Leah Ryzenman celebrates her graduation with social distancing. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com
Photos courtesy of Leah Ryzenman
I
’m an artistic swimmer. I have been for the past eight years. It’s not water ballet and we don’t wear flowered swim caps. Artistic (previously known as synchronized) swimming is a combination of gymnastics, dance, cheerleading and speed swimming. This sport has truly made me who I am today. I’m so extremely thankful for the memories I’ve made, best friends I met and experiences I lived. The 2019-2020 season was my last season. I’ve swam with this group of girls for more than five years. They’ve seen me laugh and cry, gasp for breath, felt me squeeze their hands for good luck. They heard me cheer their names and so much more. Next year I’ll be hours away from these friends who have become family. Further, I’m not sure I’ll ever compete again. This was supposed to be our year. We qualified for the U.S. Senior Nationals, the highest-level competition for athletes of my age division in the country. It was scheduled for late March. We were also working to place at the 2020 Summer Junior Olympics, the largest artistic swimming competition in the U.S. Both competitions were canceled and the future became uncertain. I miss my teammates more than anything. Our lives were turned upside down and inside out, and just as we were starting to get a sense of who we were, our evolving identities seemed to be erased. The past four years I have participated in an array of meaningful extracurriculars. At New Albany High School, I was selected as a member of the SOAR Leadership Group, spreading positivity and kindness to students and faculty as well as promoting school culture. I participated in the school’s drill team, fashion show and the social studies Rho Kappa Honor Society. Away from campus, I was involved in several peer groups, some of which
