GC&SU tennis player prepares

By Leah Stanley
Staff Writer

With the spring season just around the corner, Georgia College & State University’s men’s tennis team is hard at work. The team is currently ranked 31st in the NCAA Division Two and 14th in the South Region entering the spring. This year, there is one particular player who is doing his part to help ensure the team with a successful season.
Per Shartum-Hansen is returning to the court as a veteran player this year. Shartum-Hansen is one of seven sophomores on a team made up of young players. However, this young man, who hails from Hamar, Norway, is no rookie at the sport. He has been playing tennis since he was nine years old and has racked up several accomplishments in his 11-year courtship with the game.
Though many may ask how one makes his way from Hamar, Norway all the way to Milledgeville, Georgia, Shartum-Hansen says it’s something he had always thought about. He found out about GC&SU through a friend and eventually landed a tennis scholarship. Though life here is certain to be a little different from life in Norway, Shartum-Hansen seems to be adjusting to student life at GC&SU just fine.
“I like the campus and people. The facilities are very nice,” he said.
He also likes the friends he has made on the tennis court. However, it sounds like Shartum-Hansen may have an eye for the city lights. He added he really enjoys visiting Atlanta.
As for tennis, Shartum-Hansen says that his strategy has changed a bit over the years.
“You can thank Coach [Steve] Barsby for teaching me about consistency. I’m trying to play smarter and make less mistakes,” he said
Coach Barsby and Shartum-Hansen seem to have a mutual respect for one another. If anyone can spot a good thing when he sees one, it should be Coach Barsby, who led the Troy State Trojans men’s tennis team to a Conference Championship. He coached at Troy State from 1995 to 1997 and was also named as Conference Coach of the Year. Barsby, who is in his second year as head coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at GC&SU, has great things to say about Shartum-Hansen.
“Per is a very hard worker with a lot of potential,” Barsby said.
Shartum-Hansen was named County Champion while playing in Norway, where he won the Region Senior Championship twice and the Region Junior Championship three times. He also enjoyed playing soccer and hockey while in school in Norway. Since coming to GC&SU, Shartum-Hansen has had success as both a Singles and a Doubles player for the men’s tennis team. In the fall, he earned a record of 5-5 in Singles and looks forward to the spring season, which will begin on January 30.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 25 2002. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry