Jessica Haney | May 5, 2010
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| Photo by Jessica Haney |
| As a member of the IU women’s tennis team, junior Myriam Sopel practices and travels to matches, all while majoring in journalism. A native of France, Sopel is interested in broadcast journalism. |
But as athletes on the Indiana University women’s tennis team, their afternoons are spent practicing at the tennis courts behind Assembly Hall. After about 6 p.m., when practice ends, the two buckle down and devote their time to studying for their journalism classes—“until we crash,” said Sopel.
And, both are international students as well. Sopel is a native of France and Martin is from England. Both came to IU to play tennis, but they also knew that they wanted to study journalism.
For Sopel, being a broadcast journalist began as a childhood dream — right around the same age she began playing tennis at age 8. She thought it would be fun to be on TV and simulated the experience by talking into a hairbrush in front of the screen.
“But my vision of journalism has evolved,” said Sopel. Now she is excited by the idea of having an impact on other people’s lives, and she is eager to learn more about the world. After college, Sopel wants to attend graduate school, ideally at Columbia University.
Martin also has journalistic career aspirations. She has always enjoyed writing, but it wasn’t until classes at IU that she discovered her interest in other sides of journalism, such as broadcast and public relations. Martin said she would really enjoy working in public relations for professional athletes after school.
The women have learned to balance their academic demands with their commitment to IU athletics — so well that the women’s and men’s tennis teams have had the highest overall student GPA out of all IU athletics for five straight semesters.
“It’s hard enough to be a top student,” said assistant professor Mike Conway, who has taught both Sopel and Martin in his classes. “They’re always working ahead.
During the spring when tennis is in season, they don’t have much of a choice. The two rarely have free time. Each weekend is spent on the road, sometimes in multiple cities per trip for tennis matches.
“When you’re on the road it’s hard to study,” said Martin, “I’m cramming during the rest of the week.”
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| Photo by Jessica Haney |
| Junior Charlotte Martin worked on her game during a recent practice. She hopes to work in public relations for professional athletes when she gets her degree. |
“I’m so used to being on the run and being busy all the time, that I kind of like it,” said Sopel.
They both wanted to continue playing tennis in college, and U.S. schools offer more organization and competition within the sport. Sopel and Martin e-mailed the coaches of several NCAA Division I schools before deciding on IU. For Sopel, the campus was what sold her. Martin picked IU because she was offered a tennis scholarship. They said the School of Journalism’s reputation played a role in their decisions as well.
Because of the U.S reputation for college sports, the tennis team is made up of eight women with different backgrounds.
“We have the international spirit, if you can say,” said Sopel, who is from Longnes, France, a town 45 minutes west of Paris. Martin lives near Birmingham, England, about two hours north of London. Others team members hail from Russia, Portugal, South Carolina and Kansas.
Because six of the eight members are international students, they were able to help each other make a home at IU. Sopel said while the student athlete part of her college identity wasn’t a difficult adjustment, “the emotion part was really tough.”
Sopel struggled with speaking English in the beginning, but her teammates have helped her grow into a full-blown Hoosier. Sopel said her teammates often corrected her and taught her new expressions. She lived on the same dorm floor as other tennis players her freshman year, and they have made a tradition of attending the first football game of the season together. Her teammates have in essence become a second family. They see each other daily, spend every moment of the weekend together on the road, and four of them even room together, including Sopel and Martin.
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| Photo by Jessica Haney |
| Martin talked about the balance of classes and tennis, which involves travel and long practices. Working hard on and off the court has led to the men’s and women’s tennis teams having the highest GPA among IU teams. |
And while neither Sopel nor Martin plan on pursuing tennis professionally after college, they still hope to incorporate sports into their journalistic professions.
“Maybe if I’m good enough I’ll give it a try, but that’s not my number one priority,” said Sopel.
Right now, her number one priority is her education—and getting through finals week.
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