Why I write

Why am I even here?

I was not supposed to get into Columbia. I didn’t have the grades, SATs, or really the drive to get into a place like this. And what did I do once I got in? I joined the newspaper? Me, the dorky engineering kid who always loved sports to a fault but could never quite play them all that well? I never even really meant to get involved with Spectator. I didn’t write during my first semester, but I found that I missed the camaraderie of a team, missed the feeling of everyone collectively working toward a goal. I couldn’t make the tennis team here, so I figured I’d do the next best thing: I’d cover them for the Spec. I thought I would just weasel my way onto the team, but what I found instead was that I didn’t need to play a sport to feel like I was part of a team. I found my team, my friends, my family in the cramped, dingy office walls of 2875 Broadway.

Now that my time at Columbia is almost done, it’s impossible to not think about what I learned during college. People go into college hoping to find themselves, to find meaning in their lives and in the world around them. But I never had that existential moment, that time when everything had meaning and when it all became clear. But what I did learn was that college is all about dedication. Whether you are on a sports team, an a capella group, the Varsity Show, or even dedicated to pure academics, what I’ve found is that the people that learned the most at Columbia are the ones who slept the least and gave whatever they were involved in everything they could.

For me, I found my calling at the Spectator. A lot of people, inside and outside of Spec, think of it as a chore, as something that you have to do. But I never saw it that way. I fell in love with every aspect of it, ranging from the late nights at the office to the process of telling other people’s stories.

A prospective student once asked me the best question I’ve gotten at Columbia. She asked me if I had a chance to redo my college career, what would I change? I thought for a second and gave the truest response I knew: I would try to become the editor in chief of Spectator.

Despite this, in a lot of ways, I was the worst Spectator writer possible. I was never sports editor—heck, I never even ran for sports editor. I never turkeyshot for a position despite being on the staff for three and a half years, and my Pix Box victory in 2010 was my crowning achievement. (But honestly, I cheated all the way to the winner’s circle on the final weekend.­­)

I never rose higher than a deputy within the paper, so what could I have possibly learned? Spec taught me to not be afraid to take chances. I got to the edge, looked out, and didn’t quite have the confidence to take that next step. Spec showed me that I can do one better. The next time I find myself on that ledge, I’m going to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and find out exactly what lies in the unknown.

Now, in the tradition of Spec Sports, it’s time for some “thank you”s.

First, to Matt Velazquez, who brought me onto the staff and, more importantly, allowed me to stay on.

To Bid Goswami: To be honest, this is the only part of this column that I’ve known word-for-word since I was a freshman. Coach, you are the gold standard to which every coach and administrator in the athletic department should aspire to. If we had more people in this school who were like you, with your relentless passion for tennis and Columbia, maybe you and your team wouldn’t be the only ones winning Ivy titles with regularity. The heart and hustle that I’ve seen your teams play with for four years is second to none; I think we can all learn a lesson from you about the values of hard work, dedication, and passion. In the words of each and every one of your players—past, present, and future—you are, in every sense of the word, a champion.

To every member of the tennis teams: If I could, I would go up to each and every one of you and tell you how jealous I am that you get to play tennis all across the country and learn from the best coaches in the nation. Just remember that when you play, you don’t only play for yourselves, your teammates, and your school, but you also play for the countless people like myself who wish we could be in your shoes and would give everything to do so but can’t. I may be just one, but I think I stand for a lot more.

To Sigourney for being my best friend for the past five years and making me the best person I could possibly be.

To Sarah Sommer for sticking it out on Thursdays nights at the office freshman year.

To Bart and Jacob for stepping up at a time when no one else in the section, myself included, did. Saving the sports section says more about the two of you than I could ever say in words.
To Jeremiah, Molly, Rebeka, Ryan, Robert, Trevor, and Myles: This is truly your section and you are the future of it. Make of it what you will and make sure that it’s in better shape when you leave than it was when you came in. Sports is the best section in this paper—make sure that you keep it that way.

To Mikey Zhong for taking Spectrum to places I never thought it would go and making sure that this paper has a future as bright as its past.

To Zach Glubiak, whose contribution to this section won’t ever be fully appreciated until he is gone. Zach, your dedication to school, soccer, and Spec make you one of the most incredible people I’ve met. You are the example to which everyone at this school, student-athlete and student alike, should aspire to.

To Jim and Mrinal: I know a lot of kids on this campus, but I don’t think I know any that wear as many different hats as you guys do. I have the utmost confidence that you guys will continue to improve the section and make it even better than it is today.

And the final word in this is reserved for the only person it should be: Michele Cleary, for whom there are no words. Spec has been around for over 100 years, and I’m not sure we’ve ever seen anyone with your dedication. Thanks for saving the section from itself.

Like any good Spec Sports writer, I’d like to end my time here with a toast. There will be a lot clanks to Joe Bova and to America during our final hurrah in a few days time, but right now, I’d like to raise my glass to Spec Sports, the best damn section that there is.

Kunal Gupta is a senior in the School of Engineering and Applied Science majoring in operations research.
sports@columbiaspectator.com