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It’s crazy to think that our summer has flown by so fast. It feels like just yesterday that we were meeting everyone and trying to find our way around just to get to Leverage Agency – or that we were excited that July was just around the corner. But here we are just 12 days left and all continuing to go strong. Although some of us are staying later than the program’s end date, it will be the end of the summer for our family altogether. So, we decided to leave no days wasted and really start to capture the city.
Saturday is an off day for us, meaning we have no organized events and are free to do as we please. Some of us toured the city, visiting Chinatown and exploring while some also went to places such as the 9/11 memorial. A collective group of us, myself included, decided to make it a day of sports. Joined by our founder Ben Sturner, a bunch of us made our mile long trek to Randall’s Island where we could participate in a variety of activities. We played a trio of sports: wiffleball, football and soccer. Upon arriving we played a nice game of football followed by some soccer before being treated to a delicious lunch by Ben! After lunch a couple more joined us and we began an intense game of wiffleball. Going back and forth we battled while taunting each other and really having fun with it. To make things even better, Phish was doing a sound check throughout so we managed to get a free concert in as well! We finished the afternoon with a quick game of soccer and then tried to catch our breaths before the journey back to the dorm. During the walk back, we chatted about our Friday night and even watched one of our members try to interact with some runners as they went by (thanks for the amusement, Matt). The trip back seemed significantly longer but we managed to make it back tired yet accomplished.
However, that was not the end of my day. While some rested and prepared for a night out in the city, I rested to prepare for something else. Thanks to my mentor, Keith Wan, I was able to attend my first WWE event. With a fellow classmate, Shane Stewart, (thanks for the t-shirt buddy!) we ventured to Madison Square Garden to watch the “SummerSlam Fan Tour.” We made our way down early so we could grab a quite bite to eat and some drinks before the show. After finishing our meal at Lucy’s, a fantastic Mexican restaurant across from MSG, we made our way to will-call to pick up our tickets and head inside! It was absolutely electric, even for a non-televised event. It was truly something amazing. To witness such a unique fan base was a great experience for me and to see all the young fans cheering and screaming for their favorites brought me back to my childhood watching the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin battle it out. We had some great seats in perfect view of all the action.
This summer has beyond exceeded my high expectations, and I cannot believe that we are in the home stretch. I am going to miss all of my MSBA family and I look forward to our crazy shenanigans in the weeks to come.