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Anyone who has lived abroad or experienced extended
foreign travel knows the challenges associated
with international exchanges—cultural differences,
currency exchanges and language barriers.
Imagine these coupled with the demands of college
studies and athletic competitions, and you’ll understand
the lives of international student-athletes.
The University of Northern Iowa currently
has 10 student-athletes from foreign countries
on the rosters of three sports—women’s tennis,
and men’s and women’s track. Wartburg
has four international student-athletes from
Columbia, Cameroon, Norway and Mexico
participating in soccer and wrestling.
Recruiting international athletes is different
than recruiting local athletes. UNI tennis coach
Sachin “Shaq” Kirtane relies on contacts he has
built throughout the world to gain knowledge
of potential recruits.
“Everything is done by phone and email
because there is no official campus visit,” said
Kirtane. “I try to get a feel for what kind of person
(the recruits) are and rely heavily on coaches I’ve
established relationships with over the years.”
The accessibility of the internet has created
more competition in recruiting international
athletes. “The girls can go online no matter
where they live and find out about our weather
or compare us to other schools,” said Kirtane.
“That didn’t happen 10 years ago.”
Kirtane said there still is less competition
among international students
than those from the U.S. “They only
know UNI. They don’t have divided
loyalties that we see sometimes — ‘My
mom went to Iowa State.’ ‘My dad was
a Hawkeye.’ They only know UNI.
They are here because this is where
they want to be.”
Waterloo West High School golfer/
tennis player Guillaume Vorlet is an
exchange student from Switzerland
who came to Waterloo through family
connections. His father was an
exchange student in the home of the
woman who is now hosting Guillaume.
Vorlet explained how different athletics are in Europe.
“There are no sports in school. If you want to
play, you must be in a club. Also, all the golf courses
are private so you only play the course where you are
a member.”
Laia Gonzalez-Garrido, a UNI tennis player from
Spain, agreed. “I am amazed with the American
system of combining competitive sports with school.
In Spain, we have to practice and play tournaments
whenever we do not have school.”
Gonzalez-Garrido moved to Barcelona to be able
to improve her tennis skills. She would practice and
compete in the morning, then attend classes from 4
to 10 p.m. Coming to the U.S. afforded her the
opportunity to continue her studies and her tennis
career together.
Other major differences create challenges. Vorlet
explained that in Switzerland, the driving age is 18
but the drinking age is 16. He says the laws and public
transportation here are very different because of these
things. The qualifications for attending universities
also are much different, usually based on a ranking
system of tests to determine if a student will be allowed
to continue his or her education at college or in
a trade school, if at all.
Homesickness always is a challenge at first. Kirtane
says it helps that he is from India, and his athletes
know he understands what they are going through. “I
try to provide stability for them. By the second or third
year, many of the girls don’t want to go home. They
have become such a part of UNI and the community.”
Gonzalez-Garrido dealt with being so far away by
bonding with her teammates whom she calls her family
now. Sampada Kanade, a tennis player from India,
feels the same. “My tennis team is a big support for
me. It’s my family away from home. Since everyone
on the team is from another country, they are very
understanding and help us out in every possible way.”
“I am amazed with the American system of
combining competitive sports with school.
In Spain, we have to practice and play tournaments
whenever we do not have school.”
Sampada Kanade, UNI Tennis
All Photos courtesy of University of Northern Iowa
Technology has helped ease the pain. “Keeping in
touch with people is very easy nowadays, and I talk to
my parents everyday,” said Gonzalez-Garrido. Kirtane
says upwards of 90 percent of his international students
remain in the United States after graduation.
Language is another major challenge. Tennis
players are required to attend the Intensive English
program at UNI their first semester. Track athlete
Olimpia Nowak from Poland says teachers are more
willing to help in some cases because they recognize
the challenges of international students. Student mentors
and tutors are available to work with the athletes.
Coaches keep a watchful eye on academic status
reports as well.
Kirtane’s tennis players take great pride in being the best in the classroom. “The girls work really hard. We always set a goal as a team that we are going to have the highest grade point average in the Athletic Department and have met that goal in the past years.”
Another adjustment is going from individual competition to a “team” concept. Nowak (track) said, “As an athlete for me it was difficult to work with so many people. Where I practice (in Poland), we do not practice as a team. I practiced individually with my coach.” Kirtane says the goal of the tennis players is to work toward a team goal and make the adjustment to supporting each other.
In spite of the challenges, the experiences gained for the internationals are tremendous. “The best thing about being a foreign student,” said Kanade (tennis), “is you come to a new place. It’s a great opportunity to study in the U.S. You meet so many new people and see things which are different from your country. It is a great learning experience.”
“You can be someone completely different in the U.S.,” said Vorlet. “ Everyone wants to get to know you.”
“UNI has a great program,” Nowak added. “Definitely I did make a good decision coming here.”
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