I’ve unsuccessfully attempted different sports in the past, but I’ve never played tennis, so I wasn’t expecting to get drawn in to Coach Tanasoiu’s Rose Café talk. However, I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed listening to his stories. After hearing Coach Tanasoiu talk about the process of building his team up, I’m definitely interested in stopping by to watch a game.

Bernardo’s story was very inspiring. I’m impressed that he managed to balance his athletic career and his academic career. I’m also impressed that he put so much of himself into the sport, that he took every practice seriously and gave his ultimate effort instead of sliding by with the minimum. When given an easy option and a hard option, he picked the hard option. He challenged himself over and over again, and eventually he succeeded.

This past Wednesday I attended the Rose Café, and the primary focus was on the life of a student athlete at Cornell. Silviu Tanasoiu, a coach for our men’s tennis team, gave a presentation on a specific past player of his that he felt illustrated just how difficult it is to go to a place like Cornell and be a student athlete. The player he talked about did many impressive things, and overcame many obstacles along the way, but that was not my main take away from the presentation.

I was very surprised about how much coach Tanasoiu knew and cared about this student. I had never really played sport competitively, and the last time I had was around six to seven years ago and even then it was nothing serious so to see a coach care this much about a player was a little shocking to me. My experiences when I played had just been interacting with the coaches at practices and games and them telling me how to improve, but after listening to coach Tanasoiu it became clear that they know everything about their players. What classes they take, how well they are doing in those classes, their living and friend situation, what they do over the summer, and even their job prospects, everything is known and the coaches and other administrative staff does their best to ensure the player’s success. I was so happy to hear this as too often I hear of players in the NCAA that abused by the system and tossed aside after they have finished playing for their schools.  Knowing players at our school are cared for and encouraged to succeed outside of athletics really put a smile on my face.

It’s not very often I get the opportunity to hear from a Division I coach. That’s why I found our discussion with head tennis coach Silviu Tanasoiu both interesting and inspiring. Throughout the talk, it was fascinating to hear about the recruiting process, and how much hard work and dedication it takes to win, and to win the Ivy League title. However, the part of the discussion that I found most interesting was the progression of a former tennis player who Coach Tanasoiu calls Bernie.

When Coach Tanasoiu began to speak about Bernie, he described him as a talented and hardworking individual. It was amazing to hear how Bernie’s family urged him not to attend Cornell because they felt Bernie could not handle the work, but even through these doubts, he chose to attend Cornell anyway. At Cornell, Bernie initially struggled balancing the difficult civil engineering courses. According to Coach Tanasoiu, Bernie wanted to quit tennis in order to focus on school. However, Coach Tanasoiu and Bernie eventually were able to work through these issues and Bernie remained on the team. I found it very inspirational that Bernie persevered through these difficult circumstances in the classroom and on the tennis court, as many would have quit.

During Bernie’s senior year, he decided to take about 20 credits, some consisting of graduate courses, along with his other outside commitments, all while playing tennis. I found this remarkable, since not many people could handle such a busy schedule, including myself. Further, I found it incredible that Bernie wanted to attend Stanford after graduation in order to pursue a master’s degree and a PhD, considering his family doubted him originally when he said he wanted to attend Cornell.

According to Coach Tanasoiu, Bernie’s passion and hardworking mentality allowed him to get through even the most difficult times during his time in college. I learned from Bernie’s story to believe in myself, even when others doubt my abilities. I also learned to work hard and never quit when I am going through challenging times. Thus, Bernie’s story was not just a story, it was a lesson for how to approach life.

At our most recent Rose Cafe we had the opportunity to listen to Cornell’s tennis coach talk about one of his most inspiring athletes. Bernardo was an international student who defied all expectations by choosing to come to Cornell. He did not have the same preparation for an Ivy League school, since he had attended an online high school. His parents were not supportive of him going to a school in the U.S. And, on top of all of that, his goal was to enter the School of Engineering, one of the most difficult schools at Cornell.

Despite the lack of support, Bernardo was determined to attend Cornell, and he did so with amazing success. He overcame the unsupportive teammates, the failed chemistry exams, and the lack of parental support. It was shocking to me that he was able to stay committed not only to his dream of being a civic engineer, but also to the tennis team and summer jobs.

The story of Bernardo made me think about my own work ethic. Although I wouldn’t categorize myself as someone who is wholly unable to withstand obstacles, I don’t think I could have persevered under the same circumstances as Bernardo. It is definitely inspiring to me, and is something I’ll keep in mind as I continue through my undergraduate career and possibly graduate school. If Bernardo could make it through one of the most difficult majors here at Cornell on top of a sports team and extracurriculars, then I can also do it.

Last Wednesday, Coach Tanasolu shared with us the medal winner athlete Bernardo’s story of being a Cornell student and a tennis athlete at the same time. While I’m not an athlete, I can imagine the pressure of being student and a professional tennis player at the same time. Besides, he’s a very skillful athlete.

Among all the miracles he’s made, two of them most impressed me. First, he always chooses against his parents in front of big decisions. It takes much courage for him to do that. I think it’s hard to have the belief of I’m doing the right thing and others will find out my decision is the best at the end. He also had a part time job to earn his own tuition for the master program in Stanford. Moreover, when he was in an internship in Ecuador, working with the local government on earthquake recovery, he sent a video to the tennis team where he was wearing a mask which makes him hard to breathe on the treadmill. He trained himself at night as hard as he worked in the day. His perseverance and devotion greatly moved me since I am a easy distracted person which cannot focus.

During the exam period, it is really a healing experience to listen to the real story of a student athlete around us. I think I’m greatly inspired by him and be more persistent and positive to all the future challenges I’ll face!

At this past Rose Cafe, Coach Tanasoiu described the most inspirational athlete he’s ever coached. This athlete, Bernardo, a tennis player from Ecuador, was not only a talented athlete, but overcome social issues and mental obstacles during his time at Cornell. As an athlete, I can relate to his commitment to his team, by how much time is dedicated every week to practicing and improvement. It it a lifestyle that becomes habitual and helps maintain structure. But Bernardo was well more than the average college athlete, and lead a transformation of his team. Instead of folding to the mold of his outgoing, party-hopping upperclassmen, Bernardo pushed away the social pressure to drink, and instead focused his time to improving his skills on the tennis court and with his engineering homework. His example then led incoming students, which created a more competitive atmosphere and ultimately lead their team to their first ever All-Ivy title. Bernardo’s outstanding athletic ability was obviously impressive, but his drive to push past social pressure and instead improve himself and his teammates is what is truly inspiring.

During Wednesday’s Rose Café, Silviu Tanasoiu, the head coach of the men’s tennis team, came in to talk about one of the students he has coached. He talked about the recruitment process, Bernardo’s experience at Cornell on and off the court, and his road to the Ivy League championship game that the team had won. The part of the story that stood out to me the most was when he talked about how Bernardo became an inspiration for the team and how he persevered through difficult times at Cornell. Bernardo’s dedication to the team, his education, and his future is very inspirational. He also talked about how Bernardo never complained. It is very easy to complain about everything bad that is happening, but it is very difficult to not complain and stay positive. At least for me, having at least one person around me who is positive helps me be more positive and see the good things that have happened rather than the bad things. It is amazing how much the people that you surround yourself with can have an influence on you. Lastly, before the café, I did not realize how much the coaches do for their players. I did not realize that they not only coach the students on the court, but also help the students through academics and, in general, life. It was interesting to learn about the impact that the coaches have on their students. Everyone needs someone who really cares about them and is willing to help them through any difficulties they may encounter.

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.

I am glad that I went to last week’s Rose Cafe that featured Cornell men’s tennis coach, Silviu Tanasoiu. During the Cafe, Coach Tanasoiu spoke about the process of recruiting players, his relationship with players as both coach and mentor, and the story of one tennis player. Before hearing him speak, I had never really considered how instrumental varsity sports coaches are in the lives of players. It seems like the tennis players have a lot of added support and guidance, beyond guidance in the sport, by being part of the team.

Additionally, Coach Tanasoiu shared his perspective on student-athlete life at Cornell by discussing the story of Bernardo, a tennis player who entered Cornell and faced some initial academic setbacks but ultimately ended his college career with many accomplishments. This story of “transformation,” as the coach described it, emphasized that persistence and hard work are critical for overcoming challenges. Though this message is simple and straightforward, I enjoyed hearing this story especially at this point in the semester.

At Wednesday’s Rose Cafe, we were able to listen to Coach Tanasoiu of the Cornell Men’s Tennis team discuss the four-year journey of a tennis team alum, Bernardo Casares-Rosa, who had to adjust to life as an international student balancing the Cornell Engineering curriculum with varsity athletics. And although none of the people in the room were varsity athletes, I felt like we all resonated, to a lesser degree, with the struggles that he faced.

Obviously, coming to Cornell – or college in general – from any background is daunting, but I appreciated being able to learn about someone whom, without this Rose Cafe, I would’ve considered as accomplished and talented by nature. This Rose Cafe served as another good reminder that essentially no one at Cornell is breezing through college; we all have doubts and fears and failures that we’ll have to work through over our four-ish years here. I also realized that there are always people to turn to for help. I really respected Coach Tanasoiu’s honesty about how he mentors each of his players, and how he is constantly striving to improve himself along with his players. Even though I don’t have a coach, I’m sure most of my professors feel the same way as Coach Tanasoiu, in that they also take each year and each student as part of a learning process.

Overall, I think this was a refreshing reminder that despite Cornell’s academic environment, it is possible to get through it (although I will state that I don’t want to diminish anyone’s struggles with mental health by making it seem like all you have to do is “try harder” – seeking help however works for you!).

I audit the “Rose Cafe: The Student-Athlete Ideal: Academics in the Ivy League”. When coach talked about his personal experience about how those athlete training, I remain myself when I got table tennis training in China. I practice 3 hours everyday after school, and then I hardly had another spare time to do what I want to do like playing computer games. I never stopped training because my parents force me to do so, and at the same time, I have to keep balance between training and study. It’s a tough time for me, but I got used of it. I am so fortune that I didn’t give up my study(because I found I am not talented to be a professional player), and fortune enough to go to Cornell Univerisity. Because of this personal experience, I really admire our athletes, because it’s super hard to balance it. Thanks to the this cafe talk, lets me know on our campus, there are a bunch of students doing the hardest training and studying hardest. Applaud for them!

The story of one of coach Tanasoiu’s star athletes Bernardo made me realize that sports can be extremely significant in someone’s life even if they are not pursued the sport as a career. Perhaps even more significant, appears to be the impact the coaching and advising staff can have on an individual. As someone who has never been on a high school or college sports team I came into this Rose Cafe with a very limited understanding of the support and resources which a sports team can offer an athlete. Although I don’t intend on picking up a sport any time soon, this talk made me realize that I can transform myself in college and that to do so I need to make use of the many resources that are available to me in the form of counselors, professors, and peers. The path to self-improvement and success is exceptionally difficult, but the key is to keep trying and not give up.

Those of us who haven’t been deeply involved in competitive sports find it hard to remember sometimes that sports are not just points on a scoreboard or numbers in the news. A sport can be a huge part of someone’s life, even when they don’t go professional. Today’s Rose Café really brought that across to me. I’ve generally thought of sports here at Cornell as being purely recreational, not very competitive with other schools, and maybe as a medium for friendships. Coach Tanasoiu’s presentation showed how the system here at Cornell extends beyond the sports themselves. Besides scheduling matches, recruiting players, and managing practices, coaches act as an additional advisor to help students get through their academic workload and suggest ways to manage their lifestyles here. They have to consider not just athletic ability but also components of team culture like ambition and work ethic, pushing players to their limits but also knowing when to let them rest. On top of all that, they have to fundraise to support their programs and manage their spending.

Overall, this session raised my respect for both college sports coaches a couple notches, especially at schools where they don’t have huge amounts of financial and clerical support.