The wide world of sports

Challenged like never before, freshman Susanna Ernst found herself in an entirely different environment when she moved to Bloomington from Austria to compete for the women's swimming team. Among her fellow swimmers, she was no longer the top competitor in her field. Ernst, a two-time Austrian national champion in the 200-meter backstroke, calls the difference in competitive levels "incomparable."\n"Our nationals are like a small regional meet here," Ernst said. "There are not many swimmers compared to America, so (the level of competition) is much higher."\nTo combine the stress of the first year of college with that of studying abroad, mastering a new language and competing for a Division I team would seem to be a recipe for disaster, but many international athletes agree they don't feel overwhelmed.\nErnst's decision to study in the United States wasn't made suddenly. She had previously decided to swim for an American university and had e-mailed more than 20 schools before she was recruited by IU.\nThere are no agents that recruit for IU swimming. Women's swimming coach Dorsey Tierney said the coaches observe prospective athletes by either attending competitions abroad or international competitions like the U.S. Open. Tierney has had numerous experiences coaching international athletes here and at Southern Methodist University, where she coached from 1995 to 1998.\n"There's several ways to meet people," Tierney said. "You get to know (their) coaches. In many cases, I would go with them to an international competition in the summer and meet their coaching, meet the head of their federation. You meet them at clinics; you meet people all over the place."\nTierney said the only deciding factor of whether or not an athlete is recruited is performance -- American students get no preference because the University benefits from the better athlete in the long run. \nJunior men's tennis player Jakub Praibis, a native of the Czech Republic, was also recruited through coaching contacts. While still at home, he spoke to a Czech former IU assistant coach, and though he was hesitant, his parents were swayed by the training opportunities and his chance to attend school at a very low cost.\n"I'm on full scholarship," Praibis said. "I still pay some fees, but it is a very good deal for me. I have to pay almost nothing."\nHowever, even international students who are recruited to attend IU with the intent of competing don't always receive a full scholarship, as is the case for freshmen men's tennis player Dmytro Ishtuganov. \nA native of Kiev, Ukraine, and a tennis player since age eight, Ishtuganov is one of four international students that make up the nine-man tennis team. Although he receives only a partial scholarship and his family must cover their own travel expenses, Ishtuganov is content with the amount he receives.\n"The part that my family has to cover is pretty little in terms of percentages," Ishtuganov said. "It's a good deal, what I get."\nHomesickness is a common sentiment among the athletes, but they all stay in touch with their parents via e-mail and telephone. The only stories of trouble while stateside came from Ishtuganov, who was initially recruited to play at Indiana State University in Terre Haute and had difficulties with English.\nIshtuganov said he's not overly stressed and doesn't mind being away from home. \n"I'm so busy here with studies and tennis that I don't have time to be homesick," he said.\nErnst admits to missing home at times, but she said the improvement in coaching is well worth the distance from her family. In Austria, her team had so few backstroke swimmers that she was "practically swimming on (her) own." Tierney said Ernst had to step up to a much more intense training environment at first, but noted that she shows improvement every week.\nMen's tennis head coach Ken Hydinger also has had extensive experience with international athletes -- most noticeably, he coached Irish tennis player Eoin Collins, who later went on to compete in two Olympic games.\n"A lot of these guys are pretty mature people," Hydinger said. "They've come a long way from home with a purpose." \nStill, Hydinger tries to watch out for homesickness among his players and help them through the cultural adjustments that come as a result, though he never treats his players differently just because of their diverse origins.\n"I don't think that the impressions that I have of somebody are because that guy (is) foreign," he said. "I think it's because the guy is a beautiful tennis player. When you watch Jakub play, you know he's a humble guy, hasn't gotten cocky, never took himself too seriously. He's just a kid who was brought up right."\nPraibis says he's perfectly comfortable in Indiana, though he misses his girlfriend. He's happy with his role on the team, and while he doesn't have a set plan for a future tennis career in either the Czech Republic or United States, he says he's optimistic.\n"I really don't know right now," he said. "I'm just trying to do my best"