Tonight we had the privilege of hearing Coach Silviu Tanasoiu, the head coach of the Cornell men’s varsity tennis team, give a talk. My little sister is an avid tennis player, so I was extremely to hear Coach Tanasoiu’s perspective on life as part of an Ivy League varsity tennis team. I’ve always known that varsity athletes are incredibly busy, but I had no idea to what extent. Coach Tanasoiu described being a student athlete as “getting a medical degree and doing military service at the same time.” Student athletes often have two practices a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They spend most of their weekends traveling to compete. On top of that, they have to juggle classes and extracurriculars like everybody else. Hearing this made me appreciate just how hard student athletes have to work.

Coach Tanasoiu also shared a number of valuable lessons that apply not just on the tennis court, but in everyday life. He spoke about the importance of being grateful to the people who help you, sharing the example of when his parents sold the family car so they could afford a plane ticket for him to compete at a prestigious tennis tournament. Coach Tanasoiu also told us that he once dropped a high school player he had been recruiting for eight months, simply because the player was disrespectful to his coach. Hearing this reminded me of how grateful I am for all the support I have received from my family, teachers, and mentors.

Finally, I also found it very interesting when Coach Tanasoiu spoke about how the coaches pay attention to everything the players do, from the way they warm up at practice to how they compete at tournaments. He said that deciding which players earn the six coveted playing spots often boils down to little moments. This showed me that people are always watching, even when you don’t realize it, so it is important to always put your best foot forward in everything that you do.