The road to becoming an athlete is never easy. Being a successful one is even harder. The good thing is that the definition of success is a personal matter. Only you can decide what success means to you.

 

Becoming a college tennis player with full scholarship at a good university in the US was my version of success, my dream. But playing tennis every day and competing every weekend can take a big toll on a skinny 11 year old that paid no attention to fitness and body conditioning in general.

 

By 13 I developed strong pain in both knees, that took away many hours from my training. By 16 I had a stress fracture and bulging disc in my lower spine that kept me off the court and avoiding any athletic activities for months. I had constant pain in my lower back. Lying in bed was most I could do for a long while. I couldn’t even sit down long enough to eat at the dinner table. I also started to develop constant migraines out of the blue.

 

Through my toughest times, when my goal to get a tennis scholarship seemed unachievable, I had one “light" that helped guide me and kept me going, one day at a time, my trainer, my coach, my friend, Sarah.

 

I met Sarah a few months before the pain in my back started to become serious. I felt an instant connection that continued to grow as we worked together. She introduced me to tennis fitness. I loved the hours on the court and in the gym with her. And when my movement became limited due to my injuries, she always knew how to adjust my workout to what my body could do at that time.

 

Regardless of how bad my back was hurting that day, Sarah always came up with something beneficial to train. Many days the workout was in the dark, so my migraines wouldn’t get worse. Some days the workout involved very limited and targeted movements with elastic bands while lying down. Her specialized training for me would target specific muscle groups while still resting my back to let it heal. Even on days where I couldn’t move at all, we would study tennis matches and talk game strategy.

 

Sarah was with me every day, training and helping me become a better athlete from so many angles. She’s helped me develop my mindset, confidence, stamina, fitness and tennis technique, and strategy.

 

I remember Sarah telling me when I couldn’t play tennis because of my back, that it doesn't matter that I cannot train on the court for now. I was still training my mind and body in so many ways that will make me a better tennis player when I am able to get back on the court again. Sarah believed in me, which made me work hard and never give up.

 

A few years later, my injuries are better, my migraines are gone, I joined the Huskies tennis team at Michigan Technological University, and am now living my dream.

 

Thank you, Sarah, for always being there for me, on the court, in the gym, and everywhere in between, for gently guiding and supporting me in so many ways on my journey to becoming a college athlete.