I have spent a great deal of time thinking about how I want to kick off Volume 102 here at the Ram. I am not entirely sure if a first-time editor is the right person for the job, but I will try my best.

Toward the end of this volume, there will be seniors spending their final days in the print shop with the opportunity to share stories of celebration and sadness at having to move on from what has consumed countless, incredible hours of their college life.

With that being said, I will reserve those stories for later and let those who know the Ram best speak about all it has to offer. Instead of worrying about the end, I want to set the stage for this volume with nothing but excitement and confidence behind what lies ahead.

Since I have become assistant sports editor for Volume 102, I suppose the only thing I can do is talk about what I know.

When it comes to my experience with sports, I’ve had times of success and those of gut-wrenching failure, whether it be on the court or a fan. I will never forget, even as blurred of a memory as it may be, hitting a buzzer-beater in a recreational basketball league game and ultimately winning a championship with people who I am still friends with today.

Despite never receiving much playing time, knocking down corner jumpers en route to a near twenty-point performance or drilling a deep three over my coach in practice will always be some of my favorite memories from my youth basketball years.

In one year of tennis in my senior year, even though my partner and I never won a doubles match, I had the greatest time possible: learning, growing and laughing with coaches and teammates.

For as much joy as playing is, I am also a passionate fan. Just recently, watching the Oregon Ducks down the Badgers in the Rose Bowl brought about unexplainable happiness for the seniors who overcame a 4-8 season in their freshman year to become champions.

A lifelong Stephen Curry admirer, watching him dance, shimmy and rain threes on the court with a dynastic basketball team has been an absolute wonder. Equally as memorable is LeBron James leading the Heat to back-to-back championships or the Red Sox magically capturing a World Series in 2013 behind the splitter of closer Koji Uehara. As a fan of these teams, these are the moments I’ll never forget.

That’s not to say there haven’t been times of failure. I’ve watched Steph tweak, twist and break his ankle almost twenty times or destroy a historic 73-9 season by losing a 3-1 lead in the Finals. I recall watching Stanford drive home a game-winning field goal, staring at my television in silence for minutes out of despair.

The Saints have managed to throw away a spot in the Super Bowl for three consecutive seasons. In the moment, these times feel like the worst of all, that nothing could heal the wounds of disaster. I do not think it is unfair to say that Volume 102 will be all that different. There will be times of triumphant successes and those of devastating failure.

Ultimately, it is the moments of success, just as it is in sports, that I will never forget, and the same will be true for the Ram. Adversity will come. I — possibly even we — will fail.

However, I am also a devout ambassador of Under Armour, and as their recent advertising campaign states, “The Only Way is Through.” That one minute, thirty second commercial got me excited to take on whatever comes next and just happened to release with the outset of Volume 102. Not that I needed the extra confidence boost, but sometimes things just work out that way.

We will push through these challenges, overcome difficulties, and nothing will remain but the memories that will never be forgotten. I think the seniors will tell you plenty more about that in the future.