Textbooks and tennis matches

Most people dream of living the life of a star athlete – the money, the cars and the continuous moments of fan recognition.

But for sophomore Charlotte Martin, the No. 2 singles player for the IU women’s tennis team, life as a student athlete is not all glamour.

Although she plays for a No. 36-ranked team, Martin is taking 15 credit hours.

Scheduling around these classes is what makes the life of a tennis player different from the rest of IU’s student population.

An average day in the life of Martin ...

7 a.m. – After a weekend match, Martin rises early. She still has homework left over and must complete it before class.

Martin also has to make time to speak with family members back home in England at semi-normal hours. An early-morning phone conversation is the best option.

With three classes in front of her, Martin uses a pick-me-up snack at the Indiana Memorial Union to help her through the rest of the day.

2:15 p.m. – Martin’s third class of the day ends. Practice starts at 3 p.m., and being late is not an option.

After a speed-walk home, the madness begins.

Martin makes a lunch in the kitchen. After she has half-prepared her lunch, teammate Myriam Sopel steps in to help. Martin then rushes into her room to change into her tennis gear. Wearing half school clothes, half tennis warm-ups, Martin rushes back into the kitchen to check on her lunch.

Running between her bedroom and the kitchen, Martin spends the next few minutes catching up with the teammates with whom she shares a house.

Not missing a beat, Martin grabs her bagel, eats and runs out the door to start the 15-minute walk to the IU Tennis Center, located behind Assembly Hall. Along the way, fellow athletes from other sports drive by – being an athlete without a car is not enjoyable at the moment for Martin.

2:58 p.m. – Stepping on the court early, Martin has two minutes to breathe before practice begins. After a quick team meeting, stretching starts across the courts.

Martin and the rest of her team warm up their strokes.

Martin then moves on to return blazing serves as if they were floating at 15 mph. She later moves to a crouched position three feet from the net, putting the balls away in a cross-court angle. Finally, Martin brings the heat when she starts serving.

Practice switches from a ball machine to point-play to one-on-one coaching while the hitting goes on and on and on ...

5:30 p.m. – Practice ends early. The team will be honored for having the highest fall semester GPA of any sport on campus for the third consecutive season, winning the Adam Herbert Cup. Their team GPA has been in the 3.3 to 3.7 range for the last 30 years.

The 17 credit hours, week-long tennis practices and weekend matches of last semester paid off for Martin.

7:52 p.m. – Martin finally arrives back home and starts study time, working toward another Adam Herbert Cup. After a little over two hours, she takes a break to eat dinner.

But her night isn’t over yet. Martin hits the books again and works until midnight before crashing to bed.

Martin’s hard work and busy schedule consume much of her time. For now, Martin’s tennis scholarship, the walks to the Varsity Center and the occasional quotes in the newspaper make up all the glamour for this IU tennis player.