SE: K-State Freshmen Duo Getting Adjusted to Life, Tennis in America
Nov 07, 2018 | Tennis, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State tennis freshmen Maria Ponomareva and Ioana Gheorghita phrased it differently but they meant the same thing.
"It's something new for me," said Ponomareva, from Belgorod, Russia.
"Everything is different," Gheorghita, out of Ploiesti, Romania, put it.
Everything meaning life.
They each now live more than 5,000 miles from their homes and families. The move allowed them to quickly learn to speak English at a high level, both through K-State's English Language Program and in their day-to-day interactions with teammates, coaches and classmates.
"I remember that first week when I was here, it was really difficult. I couldn't understand anyone — Jordan and Megan, or my roommates," Ponomareva said, referring to head coach Jordan Smith and assistant coach Megan Kurey. "I was so shy (at first), I thought, 'They will think my English is not perfect. It's probably not a good idea to start to speak to them.' But I started to speak and they didn't care about it. They (helped) me, my roommates, coaches and my classmates."
Among the many cultural adjustments, K-State's freshmen pair had to get used to a new culinary experience. In some cases, this was not easy. In others, America's cuisine has grown on them.
Gheorghita said she still craves desserts in Romania. She has enjoyed the variety of food options in the United States, however.
"It's hard to explain. I miss the pies we do in my country. They're different than here," she said. "But there are a lot of things (to eat) in America."
Ponomareva said she misses the soups from Russia — a dish she used to eat every day. But she's grown to love Pepsi and another American ballpark classic.
"Pepsi is so different here. It's so sweet. I like it," she said. "And also, nachos with salsa, that's really good. I love it."
Some other differences the two have noticed are neither good or bad in their eyes. They're just different.
For instance, one of the first things that caught Ponomareva's attention when she arrived in Manhattan were churches around town. They do not look like all cathedral-like buildings like she was used to seeing in Russia.
Clothes? Way different. Even when people workout, at least in Ponomareva's experience, has been new. No one in Russia gets up at 6 a.m. to exercise, she laughed.
Ponomareva and Gheorghita both do now, however. But unlike most of their lives, they are no longer working out or even practicing alone. They have teammates, one change they did not take long to love about coming to the United States.
"It's very different. You grow up having nobody. You're alone on the road, just having your parents or coaches supporting you, so having someone else, it's nice," Gheorghita said. "It helps a lot. It's like I have seven other sisters."
"It's really new for me. It's unusual," added Ponomareva. "I was not ready for it when I came here but now I feel the girls' support. They support me, I support them, and I became better, I became stronger because of their support."
Both newcomers came to K-State, fresh off its first NCAA Tournament since 2003, highly regarded and hope to help the program's recent ascension.
Gheorghita reached the Romanian National Championship quarterfinals in 2015 and climbed as high as No. 1207 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) professional rankings. Ponomareva reached No. 964 in the International Tennis Federation world rankings, recently winning the U19 Saint Petersburg Championship in both singles and doubles.
Like most international freshmen, their first fall of collegiate tennis has not been perfect on the court. On top of the all the other life and cultural changes, they also have been adapting to new coaching, court surfaces and styles of play.
"In Europe we play on clay. Here we play on hard courts, so that's different but it's not bad. It's just different," Gheorghita said. "You have to adjust how you to play."
The duo said they are both focused on blending in more aggressiveness with the styles of play that got them to this point in their career. They look to show their progress in that respect at K-State's final fall tournament this weekend, the ASU Invitational in Tempe, Arizona.
"I'm going to show my best game," Ponomareva said. "I really believe it's going to work."
"I just want to finish with a good feeling, knowing that I played good, knowing that I played better than the last tournament," Gheorghita said. "Because the transition was hard for me, so I want to have a good tournament. It doesn't matter if I win or lose, for me what will matter is the feeling, how I felt on the court. That's what I'm looking for."
K-State tennis freshmen Maria Ponomareva and Ioana Gheorghita phrased it differently but they meant the same thing.
"It's something new for me," said Ponomareva, from Belgorod, Russia.
"Everything is different," Gheorghita, out of Ploiesti, Romania, put it.
Everything meaning life.
They each now live more than 5,000 miles from their homes and families. The move allowed them to quickly learn to speak English at a high level, both through K-State's English Language Program and in their day-to-day interactions with teammates, coaches and classmates.
"I remember that first week when I was here, it was really difficult. I couldn't understand anyone — Jordan and Megan, or my roommates," Ponomareva said, referring to head coach Jordan Smith and assistant coach Megan Kurey. "I was so shy (at first), I thought, 'They will think my English is not perfect. It's probably not a good idea to start to speak to them.' But I started to speak and they didn't care about it. They (helped) me, my roommates, coaches and my classmates."
Among the many cultural adjustments, K-State's freshmen pair had to get used to a new culinary experience. In some cases, this was not easy. In others, America's cuisine has grown on them.
Gheorghita said she still craves desserts in Romania. She has enjoyed the variety of food options in the United States, however.
"It's hard to explain. I miss the pies we do in my country. They're different than here," she said. "But there are a lot of things (to eat) in America."
Ponomareva said she misses the soups from Russia — a dish she used to eat every day. But she's grown to love Pepsi and another American ballpark classic.
"Pepsi is so different here. It's so sweet. I like it," she said. "And also, nachos with salsa, that's really good. I love it."
Some other differences the two have noticed are neither good or bad in their eyes. They're just different.
For instance, one of the first things that caught Ponomareva's attention when she arrived in Manhattan were churches around town. They do not look like all cathedral-like buildings like she was used to seeing in Russia.
Clothes? Way different. Even when people workout, at least in Ponomareva's experience, has been new. No one in Russia gets up at 6 a.m. to exercise, she laughed.
Ponomareva and Gheorghita both do now, however. But unlike most of their lives, they are no longer working out or even practicing alone. They have teammates, one change they did not take long to love about coming to the United States.
"It's very different. You grow up having nobody. You're alone on the road, just having your parents or coaches supporting you, so having someone else, it's nice," Gheorghita said. "It helps a lot. It's like I have seven other sisters."
"It's really new for me. It's unusual," added Ponomareva. "I was not ready for it when I came here but now I feel the girls' support. They support me, I support them, and I became better, I became stronger because of their support."
Both newcomers came to K-State, fresh off its first NCAA Tournament since 2003, highly regarded and hope to help the program's recent ascension.
Gheorghita reached the Romanian National Championship quarterfinals in 2015 and climbed as high as No. 1207 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) professional rankings. Ponomareva reached No. 964 in the International Tennis Federation world rankings, recently winning the U19 Saint Petersburg Championship in both singles and doubles.
Like most international freshmen, their first fall of collegiate tennis has not been perfect on the court. On top of the all the other life and cultural changes, they also have been adapting to new coaching, court surfaces and styles of play.
"In Europe we play on clay. Here we play on hard courts, so that's different but it's not bad. It's just different," Gheorghita said. "You have to adjust how you to play."
The duo said they are both focused on blending in more aggressiveness with the styles of play that got them to this point in their career. They look to show their progress in that respect at K-State's final fall tournament this weekend, the ASU Invitational in Tempe, Arizona.
"I'm going to show my best game," Ponomareva said. "I really believe it's going to work."
"I just want to finish with a good feeling, knowing that I played good, knowing that I played better than the last tournament," Gheorghita said. "Because the transition was hard for me, so I want to have a good tournament. It doesn't matter if I win or lose, for me what will matter is the feeling, how I felt on the court. That's what I'm looking for."
Players Mentioned
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