Coach Silviu Tanasoiu of the Cornell Men’s Tennis team was the guest of this Rose Cafe and discussed some of his experience coaching and the story of one of the former tennis players on the team. As a high school tennis team member, I have had some experience with athletics and knew of the importance of coaches. Coach Tanasoiu’s stories about one particular tennis player really solidified the importance of coaches and how there is more to coaching beyond just sports.

Coach Tanasoiu talked about a former Cornell student on the tennis team, that was from Ecuador. He emphasized how this student struggled to adjust to Cornell, even considering quitting the tennis team to focus more on studies. However, Coach discussed how he had tried his best to advise and guide this student on a path to success, eventually winning the Ivy League for tennis and attending Stanford University for Civil Engineering. Coach Tanasoiu emphasized how hard working this student was and how many opportunities were presented to him due to his hard work and positive attitude. His story and transformation into a new person was extremely inspiring to me, reminding me of the importance of working hard and continuously striving to our goals. I was also reminded of the importance of coaches as mentors and how sports can also be a part of our personal development.