The sky is the limit for GCSU tennis

For 10 of the 17 tennis players at GCSU, their Bobcat school spirit exposes a slight foreign accent. These 10 athletes have chosen to come here from countries all over the world on athletic scholarships.
Head Tennis Coach Steve Barsby, notes several reasons for the high ratio of international tennis athletes.
“In NCAA sports, there are more international players in tennis, because in the countries they came from, athletic scholarships do not exist,” Barsby said.
Senior Anna Davidsson said there are differences in playing in America and playing in her native country, Sweden.
“When I play here, it’s a team sport. Back home, tennis is individual and tournament-based,” Davidsson said. “However, I like the team atmosphere better because it provides a lot of support and you are never alone.”
The lack of scholarships in foreign countries has raised the level of tennis in American universities and creates a much more competitive environment for all divisions.
Rodrigo Yamauti, a senior from Brazil, has found other cultural differences in playing in the United States.
“When I am playing against a Brazilian player, we usually play on the base line since we have always played on clay courts,” Yamauti said. “But, when I play American players, they go to the net and do different things.”
Davidsson and Yamauti agree it is difficult adjusting to playing doubles, since it is not common in their native countries.
“I never played a lot of doubles in Sweden, so that has helped my game and tennis career a lot,” Davidsson said. “I have played people from all over the world, and it has been a good skill.”
Aside from the slight differences in the game, some cultural discrepancies have made living in America unique.
For Yamauti, the grilled foods of Brazil were more appealing and healthier. Yet, the major difference for him is the feeling of security that he has felt at GCSU. For Davidsson, the major difference was the move itself.
“When I moved here, it was my first time living away from home and I didn’t know anyone,” Davidsson said. “So there were some tough moments in the beginning, but I am really enjoying everything now.”
Team bonding seems to come naturally, as they eat, play, travel and sometimes live together. The players also hold each other responsible academically, according to Barsby.
“My philosophy is that attending a university or college is a privilege. Most of my players do not have an issue with academic responsibility, but some people do not take advantage of it,” Barsby said.
Several international athletes use recruitment services to create resumes and find matches for universities. Then, the players will review the school’s academics or examine the roster to find possible teammates from their home country. This process proves true to the GCSU tennis team; there are four male players from Brazil, and two female players from Sweden.
The high ratio of foreign tennis players does not disadvantage American tennis players, Barsby clarifies. Since Atlanta has one of the largest tennis communities, recruiters have opportunities to form a capable team.
“As a freshman, you have to be tournament tough,” Barsby said. “Especially for American kids, its more of a pride thing, because they want to play for a big name school, even though they likely won’t start. On our team, as a freshman you start playing right away. So I don’t think [the quantity of foreign players] takes away from American players at all.”
While the camaraderie among the tennis players is evident, they all strive to better themselves individually.
“We have a great team,” Yamauti said, “but we need to keep focused and work hard, so we can go to regional and hopefully the national tournament.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 9 2007. 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