In The Huddle
The world of US college sport is both expansive and exciting, and international student-athletes are signing up in their droves for their shot at a scholarship opportunity.
In The Huddle is the creation of Study & Play USA, widely regarded as the GO TO experts in facilitating the best possible outcomes for all stakeholders in this industry: US college coaches and recruiters, local high schools, families of student-athletes and most importantly the student-athletes themselves.
So as you jog on the treadmill, drive to work, school or training, tune in to hear from industry leading experts, US college coaches, parents and student-athletes and learn how to best approach this pathway to maximise your opportunity and set yourself up for your most successful life.
In The Huddle
EP#61: Tennis player Tayah Cross' journey from Kinesiology in the US to becoming a practicing physiotherapist in Australia
Chris Bates sits down with former college tennis athlete Tayah Cross, to discuss one of our most requested topics: the process of studying in a US college and then returning back to Australia to practice as a physio. Unlike the direct entry Australian model, Tayah's journey took her from an undergraduate kinesiology degree with a minor in French from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, to a Doctor of Physiotherapy at Bond University, culminating in a prestigious clinical placement at Stanford University where she worked with collegiate athletes—coming full circle in her educational journey.
Tayah discusses the varying classes she originally took in her freshman and sophomore year and how the flexible US college system supported her to try different courses before landing on kinesiology. She also reflects on how her experience as a college athlete has enabled her to become a fantastic physio, relating her own life experiences to many athletes she treats in her professional world.
Hello everybody, chris Bates here, director from Study and Play USA, and I've been off for a little while off the podcast. There's been other staff members having some really awesome episodes, but good to be back.
Speaker 1:Our guest in this episode is the wonderful Taya Cross. We've been wanting to have Taya on the podcast for some time for many reasons, not least of all because she has a great story to tell about her college experience. But more so, we have some really key topics. We think that might help some athletes listening and families that are considering the pathway. So, by way of introduction, taya is a practising physiotherapist here on the Gold Coast in Queensland, australia. Prior to that, taya attended University of North Carolina in Greensboro and that was an NCAA Division I program where she played four years of great college tennis. Her tennis journey to that point, like for most juniors, was full of highs and lows. So we're going to uncover how Taya decided on the college path her overall college experience For tennis families.
Speaker 1:Specifically, we'll tackle some of the UTR or Universal Tennis Rating challenges and how to overcome those experience. For tennis families specifically, we'll tackle some of the UTR or universal tennis rating challenges and how to overcome those with balancing school and UTR through the recruitment process, etc. But also for any athlete of any sport. I think this is a must-listen podcast for you, just to learn from someone who's been there fairly recently and is now into the workforce as a physiotherapist. Many of our athletes we talk to are physios, so there's a different way of doing it through the American system, and Taya will share that with us today. So plenty of important topics we're going to tackle Without any further ado. Taya, welcome to In the Huddle.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you so much for having me, Chris.
Speaker 1:Yeah, awesome to see you. As always, it's been a little while. What have you been up to?
Speaker 2:Yes, so I'm practicing on the Gold Coast in a private practice setting in Southport. I do a little bit of hospital shifts on weekends as well, um and yeah, just really enjoying work at the moment. Um, and playing a little bit of tennis socially, but obviously not competitively anymore, but yeah oh, that's good.
Speaker 1:Pleased to hear you still playing some tennis and keeping keeping that up, um. But yeah, really impressive to hear you're doing so well with your physio as well. Do you prefer, you know, with the in the hospital setting? Is it rehab for um sports injury or just in general rehab?
Speaker 2:it's more general population. Um, we work with a lot of uh surgeons so looking at the spine, knee, shoulder, and so we do a lot of pre-op and post-op. But then we also get some athletes in our population age, ranging from, like, young teenagers through to 17 plus, so it's a good variety.
Speaker 1:And it's a musculoskeletal clinic, so lots of different injuries yeah, oh good for you that you're um, that you've taken your passion and you're living it right now, which is awesome. Now I'm curious to see how your tennis playing days has helped you as a physio as well.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, definitely I think in terms of, like my knowledge base. I think in terms of like exercise prescription and being a tennis player and played with injuries myself, so I'm able to relate to patients a lot better. And then also, I think, from the patient point of view, I think as soon as they hear that I've played high level tennis and I've gone to the States and traveled, I think that they have a lot of trust and it's a good way to kind of relate. So I think that it helps from both sides as well.
Speaker 1:And again, look, I know you're only, you know, reasonably new into your physio career, but I'm, you know I thought there would be most. When you're dealing with an athlete, a young person, obviously mum and or dad are coming into those appointments as well and um, as you know, being a junior tennis player, you know you could probably resonate with some of the parents so from all sports, about some of the pressures just in general right, and part of those obviously is is injury and things like that yeah, definitely, because I think the injury plays a big role, but it's also the mental side of things and the stress, and then taking into consideration, like obviously they want to get back on the court or the field or whatever, and then trying to relay that information as best possible.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So you're probably partly a physio, partly counsellor, I dare say yeah. Well, that's awesome. I think you'd do really well at it. Um, if you, if you were, um, having to deal with those parents, so, um, and so, just talking on the physio, I think we'll just stay on this topic for a little bit, because we get a ton. You know, I'd say almost one in four of the student athletes we meet with and they have a bit of an idea of what they their interest areas are. They'll say things like exercise science and exercise physiology maybe want to become a physio one day, and our standard answer is absolutely great, you can go to america and do that, but it's a different way of doing it. Do you want to just give us a little bit of a, an overview or summary, I suppose, of of how you went about doing physio, from you know, from your undergrad in the us, all the way through to now?
Speaker 2:yeah, I never thought I'd be a physio. From, you know, from your undergrad in the US all the way through to now, yeah, I never thought I'd be a physio. Actually, so I might even have a different background to other people I didn't really know what I wanted to do and everyone would always ask me you know, like, what do you want to do? I had literally no clue, and I think that's also the beauty of the American system compared to the Australian system, because I think in Australia you have to choose your degree and you choose the subjects for that degree. In America it's different because you go there and then you can you do the general education subjects. So you have, you know your maths, your English. You kind of have to do a variety of subjects, which I think is really helpful because then you can try and figure out what you like.
Speaker 2:So for me, I went over there and I went over studying in business because I had no clue. So I tried business. I tried a few subjects, didn't like it, but it was fine because it didn't hold me back from graduating or didn't slow me down, because you know you have to do those subjects and they're very supportive with the advice and that kind of thing. I went from business and then I did French for a little bit, tried out French didn't want to do it, I think. I went economics.
Speaker 2:So I changed my mind quite a lot throughout and then it wasn't until the end of my second year over there that I did a few um like sport and exercise subjects, and I was like, oh, I actually love this and um. So I kind of just it was a coincidence, I just chose these subjects, really loved it and um in the states you can choose. It's the end of the second year where you pretty much like you can choose your degree. So you have about two years of leeway and then um loved it. So I did a degree in um. I majored in sport and exercise science or kinesiology and then I mined it in french um and then that's kind of how I then loved injuries, learning about that, decided when I was like and then looked into pathways of how it would transfer back to Australia.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's amazing. I did not know about the French bit. So yeah, maybe one day you'll move to France and be a physio huh, Maybe honestly.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's awesome. That's really really good. Yeah, so just quickly, taya, off topic here, did you just hear that phone ring Interrupt? So yeah, we'll just. We should be able to edit some of that out a little bit, I think we're okay, that's all right, we'll play with that. I'll just turn that off so that doesn't happen again and I'll text my dear wife to ask her not to call me during that.
Speaker 1:It was such a good answer too. Okay, yeah, all right, okay, so, um, so, yeah, so you've done all that, and so was there a? So you really truly use the us system for what it was designed? Basically, for those listening, it's a four-year undergraduate bachelor's degree that you're going for. You have four years of playing a sport. It's designed for people who aren't quite sure to use up to two years, like you did, to figure it out and try some things and then at the end of your two years, just as you said, taylor, you can choose. Um, so it was kinesiology and minoring in in french, and then so graduated, finished your tennis. Yeah, um, then what?
Speaker 2:um. So then I had a degree in um kinesiology and then I thought, well, I'd love to be a physio. So I decided I want to try and become a physio. I didn't really know how to go about that. Then I contacted australian universities. Um, I came across a couple so like university of mel, port Macquarie, university of Sydney and then Bond University. They were pretty much they were just taking the degree and then they were pretty much they offered an extended master's or a doctor of physiotherapy and then Bond University offered it for two years. So all my undergrad transferred over and then I did a doctor of physiotherapy at Worms. So that was two years and then I became a qualified physiotherapist.
Speaker 1:You're leaving a really cool part out there, taya, because I remember you telling me, with one year to go, your final placement was approaching to back over to the US, to Stanford University.
Speaker 2:Yeah, how was that? Oh, yeah, that was awesome. It was such a great opportunity Like it was crazy to think that because I loved my time in the US doing an undergrad and then at Bond they offered some placements and then Stanford came up so I applied for that one and I actually got to spend time working with the student athletes at Stanford, so helping them with their rehabilitation and working with the football team. I worked a little bit with the tennis team as well, with the gymnasts, the volleyball team, and it was just an incredible opportunity to go back there. And, yeah, but from a different point of view, you know like I went over there as a student athlete myself and then this time going over there helping the student athletes and helping them with their injuries and recovery. So it was very different, but it was incredible, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'd imagine it would just cement your decision to want to become a physio too, because you go wow, I'm actually giving back in a sense, and you're probably able to help I dare say athletes more than the average Joe, because you've just lived it. So that would have been a really cool experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely. And I think, like when they would come and they were so nervous for matches or you know, they had all of these questions and I think I could be like, yeah, I understand and I've felt your struggles and like this is how we can tackle it. So, yeah, it was very rewarding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love hearing that. That's so cool when you told me that I was a little bit jealous.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:Pretty cool, all right, so that's really good. So hopefully, listeners there, you've got a bit of an idea on what the opportunities are out there for a budding physio through the US path, and so I think, if you ever want to talk to Taya not that she's available, available all the time, obviously, because she's a busy lady, but, um, you know, you let us know and we'll see if we can put you in touch if you've got some questions specifically about you know what that experience has been like for her. Um, so back to the start now, tay. I think we're just doing little segments here. I think that's really helpful what we talked about there with the physio. I want to talk about the recruitment process before America Now, because I remember that still really clearly. It's some years ago now, but I remember meeting you and Mum and I think our first meeting went for many hours.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think it was because you had such great, you were very intrigued by the pathway and you had such great questions, and it was before I knew it. It was, yeah, quite a few hours gone and we could have talked for a few more, I think, about the college pathway. You remember that.
Speaker 2:Yes, so vividly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I remember you'd just come across from another agency too, so we were, you know, really happy to help and make sure you're guided and getting on the right track. So, yeah, so I think on that side of things, when we started, I think you were a little bit stressed, maybe a little bit unsure whether this was actually going to happen and if it could happen, where. And there was a lot of unknowns, yeah, and I think that's really normal. But, yeah, do you want to just shed some light on that? If you reflect back to that feeling of, yeah, the uncertainty, and am I good enough, and all those types of things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember meeting you. Well, I remember seeing you at the Moolabar Tennis Tournament. So I was playing a tennis tournament and um, you were there and I had already kind of signed with another agency and I was just at a really low point like I um was at this tournament, really down. I was with mum and um, just with the other agency. They pretty much said to me like you, you probably won't go d1 and you probably won't get a full scholarship d1 and um, you know your ranking's not good enough like utr and so obviously, with the stress of year 12 and everything, it was just like I was just really upset and um stumbled across you at the mullabar tournament, was just chatting and kind of relayed how I felt to you and mum did as well. And that's kind of how it all started, because I really connected with you and I felt like you were super genuine and we were talking and I think you were a little bit surprised as well that I got told that I would never get a D1 scholarship.
Speaker 2:Well, um, that that I got told that I would never get a D1 scholarship, and so then um, after long conversations and you also saying, you know, it's not just about your tennis, you know. It's about who you are as a person, your work ethic, it's like the whole package, your academics, like it all plays into it. And so, after that conversation with you, um, that's pretty much how it all started, because then I spoke with the agency and I discontinued with them. Um, I just felt like I wasn't really being heard and the communication wasn't really there, um, and so then, um, that's yeah how how it all happened, and I'm so grateful that I stumbled across you at that little bar tennis tournament because, yeah, if it wasn't for you and Alexia and StudyPlay USA, I wouldn't be in this position.
Speaker 1:So, um, yeah, I ended up getting the scholarship and um, never looked back yeah, look, it's nice of you to say that, but I do remember it very well, um and um. It's no surprise to us that you know. When you actually did get that full scholarship at a Division I, it was for all the reasons that you just said. It was because your results were good enough to sort of say, okay, this player's got potential, we could work with her. But it's also, they could see, you're a really good team player, a good person, you know, work hard academically, and all those things proved to be true when you got there as well. So so that's credit to you. No one, no one on this end, is going to take credit for that, but that's, um, that, yeah. So, yeah, I do remember it.
Speaker 1:I think what I wanted to touch on, too, was just the struggles. I think and for people listening again, this doesn't have to be tennis, it just happens to be your sport, happens to be my sport, that I played as well. So, um, but the struggles are the same and the things that that can be quite challenging in this process can just be. There's a few things. One is time. You know, with time progresses and and offers not materializing yet, and we're getting worried about that the meantime we've got a formal to worry about, and where am I getting my dress and all that stuff. And we've got friends and we've got family, and we've got sport and the pressures of wanting to perform.
Speaker 1:And then, from your case, obviously, for tennis specifically, you've got this dreaded thing called universal tennis rating. At the time it was very new to Australia and you know the coaches were saying we need you to be a certain level and you weren't quite there yet. So can, yeah, can you just talk really briefly? I guess what you recall of that, that of those moments just from a tennis experience, and the stresses that you felt and all trying to find that balance yeah, um, yeah, if anyone knows me and my mom, they know that we're massive stress heads.
Speaker 2:and um, yeah, it was like for so many reasons, you know, there's like the studying for the SATs, and then you have to worry about like your own high school GPA, and then you've got like your sport, whatever it is on the side where you've got competitions, and then, like I had a wrist injury myself so I wasn't even able to play that many, and then I was worried like, oh my goodness, I can't even show, like these coaches, my results because I'm injured, and so there were so many things.
Speaker 2:And then as well, if I didn't hear back from like a coach or I wasn't getting the universities I wanted to, I was like freaking out. And I think as well because when I signed with you guys, I think I was in like it might have been year 10, end of year 10, or I can't remember. And even like the subjects and stuff, I was just very, very anxious and thinking, like I did have a lot of doubt, like so many times I was, I'd be upset and be like like this isn't for me as much as I want it, like nothing's happening, nothing's working. And so it's funny though, because I and I'm like, wow, it like all worked out, and I stress so much, so hard, but, um, yeah, it all worked out in the end. So yeah, and it and it.
Speaker 1:We know that it always does, or usually you know, and, but until you can see that materializing. So we say this to people a lot. You're going through this process for the first time and last time we're going through it for the you know, five, six hundredth and seventh hundredth time. So, even since you've gone over taylor, probably helped another hundred or so athletes myself working with them, and I feel like I'm having the same conversations with a large majority as we had with you a lot of reassuring it'll happen.
Speaker 1:It'll happen, um, and until it happens, you know it's, it is stressful and it can be stressful. So I think you sharing that and normalizing that, I think is really important. Um, the process just works. You do have to be resilient and you do have to be patient and um, but yeah, some people are going to feel the stress more than others, and you probably did. And um, yeah, there were some, there were some crisis chats there at different points, but, um, all the way, you had a really good attitude, um, and you're very respectful and thankful and hopeful and all those things, but it wasn't easy, right? And I think that's important for people to know. Like, sometimes, sometimes this process can be hard and some of those things are out of everyone's control as to what coaches are doing and things like that.
Speaker 2:And I also I think it's easy to compare and see, you know, with other people or other competitors in your field and thinking like, oh, like hearing that they got this call with this coach or that kind of thing, and I think that that also plays into it and it's like everyone's on like a different journey and back then I would like definitely compare myself to my friends or hearing other people. Um, but yeah, in the end, like you said, it does work out yeah, thank you for raising that.
Speaker 1:That is a big common thing I think modern modern Australia or modern society is. We've got these phones in our hands and it's so easy to compare and see, but there's no context, you know. So what a lot of people do you know? Oh, she got a full scholarship to this university. Okay, well, are you sure it's a full scholarship, or is that just what she's telling you? Number one, one and number two um, we don't know if that's a good fit yet, because she hasn't gone yet right gone to the first college that offer a scholarship and maybe that's not an appropriate university. Has she gone through a process to make that decision? So, without knowing a whole range of things, just what you see on an instagram post or something like that is not, should not be. Um, you know, obviously taken too much notice of, but it's easy to say that and when you're living it as a teenager it is hard.
Speaker 2:So, um, yeah, and and I'll raise this as well is that I think that, um, that's what and don't worry, like chris hasn't told me to say this, but what a lot of agencies do is I think that they don't take into consideration like the person and the fit you know, like you kind of, you get signed and then it goes from there, whereas with Study by USA, what I found was like with you guys, you made sure it was the right fit for me. We had lots of conversations and, yeah, it's easy to compare and see like other people have all like this great scholarship or like whether it's financial or this great school and it's like prestigious school, but like, is it the right fit or not? Like I think that's a whole other thing as well.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's well said and I didn't ask you to say that that's right, but I think it is another really good point and we're not sitting here talking today if we didn't have all those difficult conversations. So you know, anything worthwhile in life that's awesome is hard work. You know, and I think that's why we see our job. You know we're not here sitting. You know one of Alexia's favourite comments we're not curing cancer. You know we're not here sitting. You know one of Alexia's favourite comments we're not curing cancer. We're not.
Speaker 1:You know it's not the biggest thing in the world, but it is very important for the young student that we're working with that we make them feel like you're the only one we're working with and we're here to listen and help and counsel and all those sort of things that are required, because it's not easy but it's a lot of hard work on our end to have those multiple conversations and it probably does bother me that other agencies don't do that. I don't understand that personally, why they don't, because you know we're not having this wonderful conversation today if we didn't put in that hard work and talking to you about how successful you've been. That's why we do it, because we want to see you have success doesn't guarantee success, but it gives you a good chance to spend that time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and also just like the keeping in touch. Like I I know that we exchanged emails and phone calls even while I was over there and I think that that helped. Like we would always touch base and you were always making sure, like, is it still a good fit for you? Like are you still happy there, because you know nothing's permanent, like there's always option to transfer. But, fortunately for me, I really loved it so, but it was nice to know that you had that support for me and that you were always there, you know, if I had any questions or concerns or wanted to raise things. So I really appreciated, like, the follow-up that you gave. Yeah.
Speaker 1:No, no, that's again. It's not. That takes a little bit of effort, but it's not something that requires any thought it's. We've got to know you very well and your family over two, three years, so for us to sort of say, right off you go, good luck, you're not talking again, doesn't make any sense to us so it's actually fun.
Speaker 1:It's actually the best bit of the job is when we follow your progress and and this part of the job is awesome too seeing you now as a young lady well and truly out of college and killing it. It's like you know. That's why we do it right. It's not about just to get you into college. You know there's so much more to it. So I appreciate you saying it. Just want to just touch on two or three more little utr comments and questions for those listening home that are tennis specific families. Um and I know you're out of tennis a little bit now so you're probably not across the current UTR situation in Australia as much, but it doesn't matter because even when before you went to college, I feel like it hasn't changed too much in terms of what UTR can, how it can impact you in terms of a tennis player. So I'm just curious if you can remember like those moments with playing a UTR event and worrying about UTR. Was it something that you were checking? Were you a UTR checker daily? I?
Speaker 2:was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, of course you were, because you wanted it right. Yeah, a lot of people say, oh, don't check your UTR, it's hard.
Speaker 2:Mm it's hard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's a challenge, um, because sometimes you can beat someone, as we know, and then the UTR can drop the next day and you know there's no wrong or reason for that. Um, so that was one challenge in terms of the recruitment um side of the UTR and um talking to coaches yeah, how did you? How did you find it when you went to college and you got in and you started at UNC, greensboro? What did UTR mean then?
Speaker 2:like at that point, when I went over there, it was. I think it was more important to me when I was in Australia and trying to get it over there. Important to me when I was in australia and trying to get it over there, um, it was still used over there and still discussed and talked about, but I think it'd been like a massive weight lifted off my shoulders once I'd gotten there and and um, a lot of pressures I felt in australia and was with constantly checking it and worried that coaches would look at that and that kind of thing and um, yeah, so it was still definitely discussed and talked about and it's present there.
Speaker 1:But, um, like, as for me, I just looked at it very differently once I was over there so one of a good myth buster here probably is just sharing, like where your team lineups decided by utr. No, no, no, not at all. How were they?
Speaker 2:decided From who we would verse in, like the full competitions, like from other universities, while we were over there, how we would perform against our own like team members, and we would have practice matches as well. That was all taken into consideration, so that's how our line-up was decided.
Speaker 1:How were those matches you know, like if you had to play one of your good friends on the team. How was the playing of the match and how was it after?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it can be tough, you know, playing like you know, especially like I lived with my teammates. So it was my roommate, my teammate and like my best friend, like all in one, and we were a very close team. So it was my roommate, my teammate and like my best friend, like all in in one, and we were we were a very close team. So it was definitely hard. But I think because we had such a good close team and our coach actually really instilled like teamwork and that kind of thing, um, we were able to to be fine off the court, so like when we're on the court we're competitors. But then, um, we did a lot of team bonding and, um, really good leaders and captains, so that made a big difference as well.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's really good. I think I really appreciate that one too, because it's a good myth buster. A lot of people go recruiting and looking through the lists of colleges on UTR sites and go, okay, listing from one to eight, okay, I'm going to slot in at number seven or five, let's say so, yeah, I can make that team and I'll be playing number five when I get there. It doesn't work that way. You could be playing number one, you could be number eight. So that's why it's very important to try and establish that a bit of a guide before you go to college from the coach and then be ready to go and beat your friends. You know when you go to practice and then give them a hug afterwards and go and have dinner. Right, Absolutely, yeah, that works All right. So thank you for sharing a little bit of that UTR stuff. I think just for those listening that are tennis families, that was hopefully really helpful. I guess just one last question around tennis specific would be, you know, like why college tennis? For anyone thinking about it.
Speaker 2:I don't know where to start. I think, like the relationships that you make over there, like the connections that you have, um is so incredible for me, um being able to compete with my team, play with them, play the sport I love, whilst getting a degree, um makes such a difference. Like you play your sport competitively but you're also um getting a degree so you can get ahead with your career. So so it's pretty much two in one, like.
Speaker 2:I feel like in Australia it's hard to you know whether you want to go professional. It's there's a big financial cost and then, like, if you get injured, for example, you don't really have much to fall back on. Or it's really hard to balance the academics with the tennis or the sport here in Australia, whereas in America they have such a good system where there's so much support, and so, yeah, I think you just have to do the best of both worlds, regardless of whether you want to go professional or you want to build your career. Because, again, it's opened up so many opportunities for me career-wise that I think I have a massive advantage as a physio having that as my base.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good because that feeds into one of the questions I wanted to sort of touch on, like about being a professional. Right, I struggled with that concept of feeling like I'm an absolute failure if I don't make it as a pro, because I was a good junior, so anything but pro was a massive failure in my mind, which I've now discovered is incorrect. But I'm curious about you Were you at some point thinking you want to go pro before college, during? Was that sort of on the radar at all at any stage?
Speaker 2:I think I definitely wanted to see how good I could get tennis-wise, for sure, and a lot of my friends around me were considering going college as well or going the professional. Sure, and a lot of the my friends around me, um, were considering going college as well or going the professional route, and a lot of them chose the professional route and, um, um, it's funny because, yeah, when I went over there, I tennis was like my whole life and probably for the first two years it was my whole life, and then I'd say probably my junior year. I was like like I love tennis and I always will, but like I'm not going to go professional in it. Um, and then my whole perspective changed.
Speaker 2:But I think, for people that that do want to go professional, it's still an unreal pathway because you get all of, like, the strength and conditioning side of things. You get all of the tennis, like all of the private lessons, you go traveling, you're versing like the best players. So I think like it was a perfect setup if I did, you know, or like wanted to go, or if anyone wants to go down that path. Um, because the facilities and the support there is unreal. Um, but I definitely had a change in in perspective of how I viewed tennis and and looked at my career as a physio and the academic side of things later on yeah, it's amazing and I think, yeah, I could talk about this topic for ages.
Speaker 1:I'm really passionate about it because it sounds to me very similar to me, but a lot of other athletes we work with and that I know, um, it seems to me that you sort of at the halfway mark which also coincided with you deciding upon kinesiology and physio as a path that it's not that that took place of, uh, tennis, it's just that, okay, there's actually more to me than tennis. You know what. I've actually got other things that I can offer here and um, so it's not that tennis takes a back seat. In fact, I don't know whether this is the same for you, taya, but when I decided, okay, I don't want to play professional tennis, which was closer to my last year, um, my tennis actually went like that right yeah because I'd actually just relax and play and I'm not, you know, putting pressure on myself.
Speaker 1:So it's funny how that happened. But, um, I'm not sure that was the same for you, but I was just curious. Yeah, the two-year mark do you put it down to the fact that you'd now been a little bit more definitive on what the study career looks like? Or was it just the fact that, like, had you been losing just enough to make you realise that, gosh, this is a hard old sport? Was it a combination, or what do you think?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was definitely a combination of the two. Definitely, I think the competition like you play such high-level players and it's just such a big country you're travelling, so you know like the level is so high over there and then realising like I'm not good enough to go professionally. But also, like once I decided on physio, um, I was super passionate about that and thinking I can make a great career. Um, there's lots of opportunities both in australia and america, um, that I can take it all around the world. Really that that's been set up, so yeah yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:I find that stuff really, um, really important to talk about because, um, yeah, things change whether you're in america or not in in any given four years. You're going to have slightly different views and perspectives across four years in any period of your life, um, but I think it's heightened when you're in america because you're home. You've kind of got the freedom to think a little bit, you've got, um, you're exploring things and um, yeah, so for anyone goes to college, they get to the end of the four years and they want to go pro, I'll give them a good chance of doing it because they've obviously been through, they've been exposed to study, they've probably lost a lot of tennis, they won a lot of tennis. Um, they've got every chance of doing it. If they still do pro at the end of college, it's a good test, um, so if you get through four years and want to play pro, or I'll kind of back into play to have a good shot at that, um, all right. So, um, a few quick fire questions to finish.
Speaker 1:On Taya what was the best thing about college?
Speaker 2:All of the friends I've made. Yeah, I've kept in contact with all of them. There's weddings that I'm going to in the next few years, so, yeah, lifelong friends.
Speaker 1:Playing hearts, any match that sticks out, or something like that.
Speaker 2:Probably when me and my roommate we played doubles together, we clinched and I think because she was my roommate, she was my best friend, and then like everyone's on the court, like screaming, coming up to you so happy. So yeah, it was very special.
Speaker 1:You didn't get stomped or anything like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just jumped on.
Speaker 1:What about travel? Highlights any? Any particular places that you enjoyed playing at or going to?
Speaker 2:yeah, we flew to um colorado, so um, uh, got to see the snow there played at different altitudes. Um colorado, probably Florida, and it was over spring break and we went to Universal so we got time outside of tennis as well to explore. So yeah, two very different states that we flew to.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Okay, one more question for you. What do you think? How do do you think? What was the biggest change in you after your four years in college, from when you went over, do you think?
Speaker 2:um, I think my independence and and maturity, I think, um, I just I grew a lot as a person. I became like more confident talking to people asking questions. I was very shy and like nervous, very anxious person before I went over there and then I think that I really, yeah, grew in terms of the way I talk to people, communicate, felt more confident asking for help, getting around that kind of thing.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, what do you put it down to? Do you think?
Speaker 2:I think you're in a different country, different culture. You're in a new environment. They love Aussies, so I think that always helps. Everyone's willing to help. You're in a really supportive environment so I felt very comfortable throughout the whole process, like the professors in the classroom, teammates, the tennis, like all of that. So it's a really good system and it sets you up very nicely.
Speaker 1:Awesome, taya. Very well said and, I think, a good note to finish on, I reckon. So it's been a pleasure having you on in the huddle and I'm hoping that people listening to this are driving along on the way to school, maybe, and doing lots of nodding and nudging of their sons and daughters. Did you hear that bit? Okay, and so hopefully you've been a real help to some of these families thinking about the pathway. You know, whether they're tennis or other sports. I think it's been a great chat, so probably could have kept going for a little bit longer. Actually, you've got a few other things we could talk about, but we might have to do another one sometime when you're. We can do it from France, when you're a French talking French as a physio over there, or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, honestly, probably, or America, who knows?
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 2:You might be at a nfl team or something, is it?
Speaker 1:yeah, I wouldn't put it past you, but um, so, anyway, we'll keep in touch with interest anyway, and, um, yeah, if we've got some new topics to discuss, we can do that maybe another time, but yeah, for today, that was uh, it was awesome to have you awesome.
Speaker 2:thank you so much for having me, chris, lovely chatting.
Speaker 1:Thanks, taya, will you stick around just for a bit? Yep, yep, all right, cool.