Home schooling beneficial for many Syracuse tennis players

The Syracuse tennis team trains 20 hours a week, in addition to two games in certain weeks and a full course schedule. But the busy schedule is actually lighter than most players are used to.

Four of the seven Syracus players, Guzal Yusupova, Miranda Ramirez, Sofya Golubovskaya and Sonya Treshcheva, were educated at home before coming to SU. This allowed them to spend more time playing tennis than players who attended high school. The home-trained players come to Syracuse with a solid foundation, said head coach Younes Limam.

A big part of the reason why some players do home lessons is that it gives them a little more flexibility and time to practice, said Limam.

Before college, Yusupovas daily routine included morning practice, then school work before another practice, followed by more school work. Some weeks, Yusupova worked on her game and her physical form for 35 hours.

The training was more serious in his home country, Uzbekistan, said Yusupova. The coaches were more intense and she worked with them individually rather than with a team.

Limam mentioned the importance of a solid base before the players arrive in Syracuse. The NCAA 20-hour week limit simply doesn't allow players to train as much as they can before college, so home students who previously had more stringent practice schedules have a advantage.

In his first year, Yusupova, who was transferred from Washington State to Syracuse, had an overall record of 23-17. Golubovskaya went 26-14 and Trescheva 10-11 despite an ankle injury.

Off the field, players like Sofya Golubovskayas returning to daily lessons was a challenge. After five years of home school, coming to classes with other students was new, she said.

According to Limam, learning the daily demands of college courses is an adjustment that is common among players who were home schooled. Like many students, young players must learn to manage their time as well as possible.

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Home schoolers, like Polina Kozyreva, still had significant training schedules in high school. She woke up at six in the morning everyday for 7 hour workouts. After a while, her mother asked her to just relax for a day, said Kozyreva. Even still, compared to home schooled players, Kozyreva arrived in Syracuse gross according to assistant coach Jennifer Meredith.

So far this season, Kozyreva has played eight singles games. She missed about three weeks while suffering from a left ankle injury. But shes was also the seventh Orange player or the first on the bench in a six-man squad.

She improves naturally with every game, said Meredith of Kozyreva. She's like a sponge, every time you tell her something, she does it.

Ramirez spent the majority of her high school days in Florida, away from her native Texas, where she divides time almost equally between tennis and home school, she said. She has developed time management skills, she says, and enjoys planning her schedule. She has been doing this since she moved to home schooling at the age of 8, and it has become even more important in Syracuse.

Your day is very, very hectic, from the classroom to the workouts and things like that, said Limam about Ramirez. It's something she wasn't used to, she did a lot of home schooling and trained a lot like that.

Ramirez has been playing in international tournaments since she was 15 years old. This is the solid foundation, due to the hours of tennis before Syracuse, which helped Ramirez thrive during her first year season, where she won 15 team singles matches.

For some, a transition to team tennis and a full lesson schedule is difficult. But Limam believes that if his players went to high school or were educated at home, they can become essential members of his program.

For some, it might take them a little longer, said Limam. I'm convinced that if you want something bad enough and you have a good work ethic and a good commitment, then the sky is the limit.

Published on March 10, 2020 at 11:18 p.m.

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