What's the one thing from your time in the JCL that you will always remember? What will you miss the most?
Charlotte Lowell: What I will remember most about JCL is my first convention - I had strep throat and a high fever, but still had an amazing time!
Matt Nelson: I think my favorite memory from my years of JCL will be all the times I flew back to Colorado and sprinted through Denver International into a crowd of my Latin classmates that I hadn't seen in a year. I still remember the time I was so excited to see them that I started picking people up in a hug and spinning them around. What I'll miss the most about JCL will probably be Certamen. My whole Latin career I've always bonded with my teammates to the point where the people on my team ended up being my closest friends, and there's nothing that can rival that camaraderie. Plus, it's hard to replicate the intensity and adrenaline of playing Certamen when there's trophies on the line.
What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you at National Convention?
Minyoung Hwang: Matt Nelson and I were eating at a meal and he dropped something and said “oopsie!” in a really weird voice. Couldn’t stop laughing for a solid ten minutes.
MN: One day at Miami the whole Advanced Certamen team was having breakfast in a daze of exhaustion and I bumped my hand against a salt-shaker and whispered "whoopsies". Minyoung was sitting next to me and somehow the voice I used to say "whoopsies" was the funniest thing he had ever heard. He started cracking up and it devolved into the two of us laughing until we cried for no discernible reason.
Are you planning to come back as an SCLer? If so, what made you decide to come back?
Sophia Dort: I plan to come back as an SCLer to spend more time with my friends, to get to go "behind the scenes," and to give back to the JCL.
MN: I am definitely coming back for SCL! Since I started playing Advanced Certamen, I've always made it a point to work with younger Certamen players. This past year I Skyped my old Colorado JCL team weekly to help them prepare for COJCL convention and I realized that I loved moderating and coaching Certamen. I can't wait to help at VJCL Castra for the next four years.
CL: I probably will come back to the SCL!! I would hate to leave JCL behind if I had the opportunity to stay involved.
MH: I hope I can, although I don’t know if my schedule will allow it. If I do, it’ll be to see my old friends from home again, as well as getting to see all the things that happen behind the scenes and being a part of making the JCL such a great experience.
What was the most enjoyable part about being an Slasher at this past Convention?
CL: The supportive community I found right before leaving home; it made my last month at home really amazing!
SD: I enjoyed participating in the “best of both worlds” - still getting to compete as a JCLer, but beginning to attend SCL events, especially the World Series of Certamen.
MH: Getting to play World Series with my Latin teacher, Ms. Lister; although we didn’t make it past semis it was still great to play one last round of Certamen at the end of Convention.
MN: The half of a ribbon on my nametag.
INSIGHT FROM THE VETERANS: Interviews with 2018 Slashers
VJCL FALL FORUM PAGE 2