PHOTO COURTESY: Clarisa Cruz
UTRGV is a second home to many students and according to the UTRGV website, International Students have allowed the UTRGV to be another home to over 780 students. The women’s tennis team has more than half of their players as International student-athletes.
Head Tennis Coach West Notts plays a significant role in recruiting students from all over the world. Notts is able to recruit international students through many online calls and videos that are posted online. He talks about how he is able to meet certain players he is looking to recruit.
“Now it’s technology, you can get to know people pretty well after watching their tape, you can watch their matches, and then you can do a bunch of zoom calls,” said Notts.
Notts isn’t just a head coach for these ladies, he is a mentor for them as well and has built a certain bond over the four years he has coached at UTRGV. He explained how he is able to be there for the team on the bad days.
“Let’s say you’re struggling in school, you’re far away from home. We go through the thought experiment. You get injured or you’re losing in practice, or you’re not hitting the ball that well. How are you going to handle those bad days? I think that’s where I convey through the call. I really got your back on the bad days and I think that’s really where I hung my hat on,” said Notts.
Moving from a place you grew up, to a totally new country has different obstacles to overcome. Senior Kristyna Mamicova has been a part of the program for three years going into her fourth year. She is an International student from Prague, Czech Republic, and grew up loving the game of tennis. Mamicova discusses her experience moving to the U.S.
“I remember still the morning I was flying here and of course, my parents drove me to the airport, and I was shaking because I was alone, and I was flying to a completely different continent. And I know here in the U.S. It’s complicated with the VISA and they can have some questions, I was terrified of that”, said Mamicova
With the Rio Grande Valley being Mamicova’s second home, she has grown as an individual. She talks about her four years she has lived here and how it has benefited her.
“Honestly my freshman year was so hard. I was really struggling, but I pulled through, I made it. And from that point I enjoyed the independence, and it felt different, it felt nice, and I think the independence in me grew so much,” said Mamicova.
The women’s tennis team is performing well this season with a five game winning streak. They will compete Friday April 14th, at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center in Edinburg, Texas.
For more information visit goutrgv.com.
