Grantham, PA - The Messiah women's tennis team finished up their fall season over the weekend with a good showing at the MAC Individual Championships. The Falcons advanced to five semifinal matches in singles and one doubles semifinal, and they also played in three of the championship matches. Kelly Hopkins was defeated in the No. 1 singles quarterfinal in a very competitive match 6-3,1-6, 10-5 and is looking forward to utilizing the off-season to regroup and prepare for the spring season.
We decided to talk to Kelly Hopkins about her Messiah experience in this week's edition of #WhyMessiah
What are the names of the rest of your family?
My parents are Janinne and George Hopkins and I am an only child.
When did you first become interested in playing tennis?
In third grade my teacher gave us a research assignment for Black History Month and I just so happened to be assigned Althea Gibson. She was the first black athlete to cross the color line of international tennis. It was so great learning about her at a young age because she inspired me to pursue tennis.
Whey did you come to Messiah and/or why do you love being at Messiah?
I came to Messiah because it had all of the right qualities I was looking for in a school such as small class sizes, short distance from home, the academics I wanted to study, and of course a tennis team. I didn't know much about Christian colleges at the time but Messiah has definitely created the right type of environment for me. I love Messiah because even though my interests and needs have changed over the years here, I can still find the necessary resources at my disposal.
Why did you choose your specific major here at Messiah? Have you enjoyed your study in it? Why or why not?
I started out as an engineering major but I later switched to computer science because I was more interested in the subject matter. I love my current major because it is such a broad field and there are many different career paths. Computers and technology are a critical part of society today so you can pretty much work in an industry you want and still be doing work in your field.
How do you balance your academic work and your commitment to your sport?
Going to a division III school makes it a lot more manageable to balance schoolwork and athletics because of the core ideals that you are a student before you are an athlete. That means if some days you have a lot of work or a big test to prepare for our coach will be flexible with our practice schedule, even if it means not practicing at all that day.
Who has most influenced your life and why?
My mom has definitely been the biggest influence in my life due to all that she has sacrificed for me and taught me. She continually shows me the importance of working harder than your peers to achieve your goals and having a strong faith in God to help guide you along the way.
What is one thing about your coach that those outside your team may not know?
Coach Arosell is always down to singing along to Beyoncé songs in the van rides with us to and from matches.
What is special about your coaching staff and teammates, and how would you explain that to a recruit or someone outside the program?
I would tell a recruit that what makes Messiah sports all special is our dedication to being like Christ when we play. When that is the mission, it makes all other things like losing and bad calls seem trivial.
Do you have a pre-game ritual or habit? If so, what is it?
My pre-game ritual is that I always re-grip my racket before each match we play this isn't as much a ritual as it is a necessity because I have really sweaty hands.
Playing tennis requires a physical component but can you talk about the mental aspect of the game and how you work through some of those situations?
My mental approach when I am playing tennis is that the first two games of a set are essentially going to determine the outcome of the set. So it is really important to start focused but also be able to refocus when failure happens and not get too down on yourself. I like to take everything one point at a time and not worry about what happened or what could happen but just play in the moment. Playing for the Messiah tennis program has really helped my temperament on the court and I have seen my mental game improve immensely over the past couple years.
What advice would you give to younger student-athletes looking to play a sport in college?
I would tell younger student-athlete t prepare for a step up in intensity. The competition is better in most cases but even if it's not, being at school 24 hours a day can take a physical and emotional toll on you that might make it harder to perform on a certain day, especially if you have a game in the middle of the week. The most important thing you need to do is take care of your self before you do anything else, which includes getting help when you need it and developing good time management skills.
If you had to answer the question #WhyMessiah what would you say?
Messiah is one of the most tight-knit communities that I have ever been a part of and I have received a lot of support from so many people here in addition to the strong friendships I have made along the way. As an athlete, this translates to always having an amazing support system whether you're playing at home or away. Especially if you play an individual sport like tennis that is put into a team format in college, having that team support behind you is truly an amazing experience.
