In the midst of midterm craze right before spring break, Rose House invited a special guest to the rose café series. Silviu Tanasoiu is the Savitt-Weiss Head Coach of Men’s Tennis at Cornell. I was initially interested because I used to play on the tennis team in high school. During his talk, coach Tanasoiu reminded us of some of the most important things to remember as students.

I was first surprised that there are only 6 spots for the Cornell Men’s Tennis. This means that there are only 48 current Ivy League players in the world. I’m sure the players know that this is a very unique opportunity and they should be proud of holding their spots. Additionally, coach Tanasoiu stated that the chances for becoming successful is a sum of small details such as warmups and attitudes during practices. Similar to other occupations and life challenges, we do not suddenly become the world’s best tennis player after a single event. It takes many enduring practices and time management to arrive at the point.

The talk made me realize once again that it must be extremely challenging to be an athlete in college, as you are trying to juggle practices, tournaments, course work, exams, social life, etc. Although the players may be very tired from practices and weekends are unavailable because of matches, their tasks do not disappear at the end of the day. As students in college, it is crucial to be organized with a structured schedule and staying in control. But it’s also important to always be grateful and be nice to yourself. Do not fall in the trap of expectations. In sum, the talk was very motivational and reminded everyone to respect others and themselves as well.