Okay, can we take a second to acknowledge how genuinely nice tennis coach Silviu Tanasoiu was?  Throughout his talk I found myself thinking, “wow this guy seems so nice”, “I wish he was my coach”, and “he is really passionate about tennis”.  His talk covered several key aspects of his coaching that truthfully relate to more than just tennis.  He talked about what a privilege it was for the players on the team to be playing, how “low” their chances were of playing here, how important time management was for them, and how he of them to be grateful and intentional with their time.  He talked of the importance of adversity and how his players were competing on a daily basis, how they can’t pick and choose responsibility, and how he asks to not focus on the outcomes but instead to focus on the tiny details that are in front of you and that you can change.  Finally, he talked about the importance of relationships and being grateful for all the people who made sacrifices to help us get where we are.

I think these lessons relate to more than just tennis and sports in general.  They are lessons we can all relate to as students at Cornell working toward our future.  We are so fortunate to be here getting a good education and getting set up for our future and we are here because of the many people who helped us get here.  Be it our parents, coaches, teachers, and many others, there are so many people who have affected and aided our paths that we should be thankful for.  We are constantly competing with others for better grades, internships, and jobs.  There is a lot we can learn from the lessons taught by our University tennis coach.