🍕 Soul Snacks

2 min read

Dear Snacker,

This past weekend, I returned to Middlebury College to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of our 2004 National Championship alongside my teammates from the Women’s Lacrosse team. I was pummelled by nostalgia and, though so much has changed since the spring of my junior year in college, so much has truly stayed the same. 

We spent a lot of time with the current lacrosse team (who beat Colby College 17-6 on Saturday!) and, honestly, I did not know what to expect out of present day college folk. These kids grew up with iPhones and social media, not to mention spending incredibly formative teenage years navigating the sadness and social-awkwardness of the pandemic. When we would have been out socializing, hoping for a make-out session with a new crush, they were standing six feet apart behind facial coverings. Would they be anything like us, or was it going to be an alien-like encounter?

At the beginning of the evening, the girls politely endured what I would have considered to be a three-hour boredom camp at that age, listening to us old bats recount memories from the glory days and watch our 2004 game that been converted from a VHS tape. Likely smeared in dinosaur grease, it was difficult to make out anything beyond some white blobs moving up and down a field, intermittently celebrating goals. Though that game is seared into our memories in high-definition, the film was whatever the opposite of that is. I imagine they felt the way our generation does watching makeup tutorials on TikTok…what the fuck is going on?

During this gathering, some of the girls on the current team whispered to us the location of the REAL party, which was to take place later that evening in the dorm of the seniors. To be honest, I figured they were being polite. They probably felt obligated to extend an invitation, but secretly hoped we would head home to take our magnesium and electrolytes and tuck away for the night. We responsibly decided to go for a drink at a local bar and call it an early-ish night instead of trying to fit in at college. We had just ordered our second round, when the girls started texting, “WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?! GET OVER HERE!”, so my aggressive, peer-pressuring best friend instructed us to close our tabs and get our asses over to the party, and that we did. 

What ensued was both the rowdiest and simultaneously most wholesome college dance party I ever attended. They had songs from our old playlists teed-up to welcome us into the party. They took our coats and hailed us into the center of their circles, breathing new life and exaltation into our homecoming experience. Our team parties back in the early 2000’s consisted of a lot more competitive beer drinking. This was more of a rave-like danceathon and was much less drinking-oriented. We jumped up and down and sang at the top of our lungs for the better part of two hours – no wonder they are in such great shape. I woke up the next morning smiling ear to ear with my hair matted to my head in dried sweat. I am heartened and relieved to submit a formal statement that these chicks were downright fire. In closing, I’d like to give a shout-out to the parents of the 2024 Middlebury Women’s Lacrosse players. You absolutely nailed it. 

— Caitlin

• SHOP: If you're looking for a cool gift for an important woman in your life to remind her how important she is, check out this awesome new collection I collaborated on with KKane Jewelry.

• THE PLAYLIST: If you went to college in the early 2000's this playlist is going to transport you right back to a time of big belts, statement necklaces and a fucking shit ton of bronzer...enjoy! 

• READ: If you have been feeling badly about your parenting lately, this should help.