Thousands of miles away from home international student-athletes at Ohio State must learn to adjust in order to succeed.
The move from a previous life stage to being involved in college athletics can be rigorous and intense. For some it is as simple as learning a new training schedule and changing coaches. For others it is a complete change of scenery, culture, food and language.
Gulsah Gunenc joined the OSU women’s swimming team this season. She traveled here from Turkey without ever meeting her coach or seeing the campus. Language was one of the toughest things Gunenc had to adjust to when she joined a team that had 26 members – all who spoke English.
“When I first came here, nobody could understand me and I couldn’t understand anybody,” Gunenc said. “I kept getting better because (my teammates) were so helpful and patient with me.”
At times the language constraints became so difficult for Gunenc that she considered going back home after her first season, coach Jeanne Fleck said.
“Now she is going to stay, now that she has gotten more comfortable and used to everything,” Fleck said. “That’s a wonderful bonus for us.”
Gunenc is not the only student-athlete at OSU with these problems, though.
“A lot of language barriers arise,” said Dennis Mertens, a sophomore on the men’s tennis team and Belgium native. “In the beginning you want to express yourself, but people misunderstand you.”
Whether or not an international athlete can speak the language, there are other adversities he or she faces. Meanings of words and sayings vary from country to country.
“I used to think Australia and the United States were so similar,” said Kylie Lancken, a junior on the women’s swimming team and Australia native. “There are things that you don’t even realize. Sometimes you find that the attitude of people is slightly different.”
Food is different in many ways, too. Bacteria vary, causing stomachaches. The United States has a tendency to sell more packaged foods than other countries.
Any international student muddles through these issues, though. Culture shocks, communication issues and diet changes affect anyone who moves to the United States from another country.
Athletes can be seen as having an advantage because they enter a team and automatically get to know new faces.
“I think my teammates have accepted me great,” said Emma Laaksonen, a senior on the women’s hockey team and Finland native. “The coaches and all the support staff have been really helpful, especially the first year – when I got here they were making sure all the time everything was fine.”
At the same time, international student-athletes have to get used to different coaching styles and training schedules on top of the usual college adjustments.
The sport an athlete is involved in and his or her native country dictates the nature in which these issues differ.
Coach and player relationships change for some international athletes.
“In America there’s not really that much of a coach-player relationship. (In Europe the coaches) really talk to you and ask for you opinion, but in America it is the coach’s way or the highway,” Mertens said. “The coaches are really hard on you (in America) while in Europe the coaches are softer on you.”
Gunenc felt different about her United States coaches, though.
“Coaches here know everything about you and are taking good care of you because we’re spending so much time together here,” she said.
Once the adjustment period is over, many athletes find themselves benefiting from the experiences. Some feel they are able to help the growth of their sport in the United States, too.
“International athletes bring diverse styles of play to the program,” said Lucy Clayton, a junior on the field hockey team and England native. “In the field hockey world, I don’t think the United States (is) as established as other countries like in Europe and South America, so we can provide them an opportunity to help the Americans improve their game too.
“When the team brings in people from such countries, they do too bring in a new outlook, energy and knowledge of the game that can be used to improve the team,” she said.
