I decided to sit down with two members of my class who I have been lucky enough to play beside for four years, and develop life long lasting relationships with. Lyndsey Fry and Marissa Gedman have come so far in their four years at Harvard, overcoming obstacles they never dreamed they’d face and supporting each other along the way. At different points in their careers both Marissa and Lyndsey each had to take a full year off school and college hockey. At the beginning of her junior year Marissa suffered a devastating tear in her Achilles. She had no choice but to take the year off to recover from season ending surgery- it was a huge loss to the team. The year Lyndsey was set to be a senior, she fulfilled her life long dream to play in the 2014 Olympics. Earning her spot on the final roster, Lyndsey headed off to Sochi to compete for Team USA and made all of us at Harvard so proud. Marissa and Lyndsey started their journey together at Harvard in 2010 and will be graduating alongside each other this spring with fond memories of life at Harvard. This is a sneak peak at their experience at Harvard as teammates, roommates, and best friends.
What is your first memory of each other?
Lyndsey: “My first memory of Geddy was my second year at National Camp when we were 15. I was the really scared kid at camp, but I remember her being the fun, chatty one that everyone liked. People were drawn to her because she wasn’t afraid to talk. But the funny part is I later learned that she was just as scared as I was.”
Geddy: “I remember being on Team Green with Lyndsey at that camp, and she was a stud but we never really interacted. But my best first memory of Lynds was the first night we hung out as freshman at Harvard and she was wearing a white and black plaid shirt with matching shoes. That is when she really made a mark on my life.”
What is your pet peeve about the other?
Marissa: “I know mine right away! It drives me crazy when she asked for a nibble of everything! But I’m over it now… I actually like it, I gave her the rest of my french fry last night.”
Lyndsey: “Just because I’m an on-time kid…when she’s late!”
Who is the cleaner roommate?
Geddy: “Me! But Lynds has gotten so much better. In previous times she was a mess because she has so much stuff and lives far away which is hard. But recently she has been keeping her stuff to her room and is very organized and cleans her dishes.”
Thing you love most about the other:
Lyndsey: “I love that she knows me so well and can ground me in any situation I’m dealing with. She brings me back to center.
Geddy: “She forces me to think about stuff I normally wouldn’t think about and has good perspective on everything. But she always asks for nibbles of my food!”
Best on ice memory together:
Geddy: “Our freshman year- the belly button celebration! I don’t remember the goal or anything but I remember being on our home ice and we had just scored. Lynds comes skating up to the point to celebrate and my arms are in the air and all she can say is “Your belly button is showing! Your belly button!”
Lyndsey: “One of my favorite on ice memories was when I saw Geddy in skates for the first time since she tore her Achilles.”
Song that best reminds you of the other person:
Lyndsey: “Big Girl you are Beautiful by MIKA. We performed it sophomore year.”
Geddy: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston because Lynds dances to it before every game.”
Twitter Name for the other:
Geddy: lyndstree, allyougottadoisfry, itsmypartyicanfryifiwantto
Lyndsey: icanmakeyourgedrock, trailerged
Who borrows the others clothes more?
Geddy: “We can’t! She’s Skinny!!! But if you ever need a prop or a costume, she’s the one to go to.”
If the other was a candle scent what would they be?
Lyndsey: “Seabreeze!”
Geddy: “Lynds is definitely a chocolate frosted cupcake.”
Favorite activity to do in your room:
Lyndsey: “I love our spontaneous talks that turn into hour long conversations.”
Geddy: “We’ve been kind of crafty this year… painting, making stuff.”
If you could describe each other as a sandwich what would it be?
Lyndsey: Geddy would be a Monte Cristo. I’ve only ever seen it once, it’s a ham and cheese sandwich between two pieces of French toast with powdered sugar on it. The crunch on the outside is Geddy’s tough side, but the melted cheese on the inside is the soft part of her and the sugar is her sweetness.”
Geddy: “Lyndsey would be a turkey sub, on a white submarine roll (the kind you get from a pizza shop), toasted with mustard and olives. The mustard because it adds a little spice cause you never know when you’re gonna get a little spice from Lynds, the olives as the nibble part of her, and then salt and vinegar chips crunched and sprinkled in the sandwich because no matter how healthy she is, she still has that little girl love for bad foods.”
If the other was a famous person who would they be
Lyndsey: “Melissa McCarthy!”
Geddy: “Lynds reminds me of Ellen, but I know she’d want me to say P!nk!”
What are you most proud of about the other?
Lyndsey: “All of her Achilles stuff she went through. Learning how to let people in to help and be there for her, and overcoming that entire situation. She learned how to take any situation and make the best out of it and use it as fuel to be the best in everything she could be.”
Geddy: “The Olympics. Lynds believing in the process and being herself the whole way. She trusted herself and got what she wanted in the end.”
Favorite place in the room:
Geddy: “The love sack (our big bean bag), and my bed.”
Lyndsey: “My fridge.”
Write a Haiku about the other:
Geddy:
“Lyndsey is so kind
She juggles and sings sometimes
I’ll miss her a lot.”
Lyndsey:
“So loyal and wise
She forever has my back
Always in my heart.”
Most quoted movie in your room:
Lyndsey: “Definitely Bridesmaids. ‘I got your back John’…’Keep smiling, keep shining’… ‘We’re gonna go down to the river’… ‘Oh Helen knows the owner.’”
Thing about the other you wish you had:
Geddy: “I want Lyndsey’s butt, and her relationship with her grandparents”
Lynds: “Geddy’s strength, and her ability to go home on the weekends.”
Things on your bucket list:
Lyndsey: “Geddy has to come visit Arizona. Oh and we have a class trip planned to Las Vegas!”
Where do you see the other in ten years?
Geddy: “Lynds will be happily married, with two kids named Rex and Fantine and living in Arizona running her own gym and nutrition clinic.”
Lyndsey: “I see Marissa out of med school practicing, being the funny but no bullshit doctor in the sense that the kids think she’s hilarious but the parents are kind of scared. She will definitely be living in Massachusetts with one kid who she just spoils like no other named Curly and have two labs Sam and Koo.”
What is one word that collectively describes each of your years at Harvard?
“As freshmen… Chaotic”
“As sophomores… Tumultuous (rocky)”
“As juniors…Lonely” (Lyndsey’s junior year Geddy had to leave school because of an Achilles injury, and Geddy’s junior year Lyndsey was in the Olympics.)
“As seniors… Perfect”
