A Long Way From Home

Seneca Sting Badminton student-athletes talk strategy at recent event.

Badminton varsity athlete and international student shares insights into personal journey

By: Aneela Khan, Seneca Student Sports Reporter

The majority of Seneca College varsity student-athletes come from or live in the province of Ontario.

Other varsity athletes come from a different province in Canada. And then, there are those Seneca Sting student-athletes who come from a foreign country.

It is already a difficult transition for students to adjust to the rigours and time management challenges of entering college; throw varsity sports into the mix and life gets even more complicated.

Now, imagine being an international student-athlete who has left everything and everyone they know behind to pursue your education.

The balancing act of the international varsity student-athlete is particularly a sight to behold.

But such is the overwhelming life for three members of Seneca`s varsity badminton team.

Three out of the ten athletes on the team come from a foreign country.

The badminton team competed in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) West Regionals earlier this month and have just wrapped up a hugely successful weekend at the 2012 OCAA Badminton Championships at Redeemer University College in Hamilton.  Seneca brought home the mixed doubles gold medal from the Championships as student-athletes Sanjay Ashokkumar & Patricia Lau ended their season on a high note.

During a break in round-robin play at the OCAA Regionals, Seneca`s Crystal Zhou offered her thoughts on being an international varsity student-athlete. 

Zhou competes in the women’s singles event. She has also been an international student for four years and is now in the process of getting her Graduate Certificate in 3D animation.

She explains why she chose to go to Seneca College rather than a university or college in her own country.

“Well, I chose Seneca College because in China, Seneca is famous and it offered the best program for me.”

Zhou says she joined the badminton team because in China, she played for four years and always had a passion for the sport.

At Seneca, Zhou credits the badminton team`s staff and coaches for helping her to hone her skills as a player and loves the team because of its supportive atmosphere.

“The badminton players are like a big family. The coaches and the team are nice and I learn so much from watching my team-mates play both in practice and competition.”

Zhou also shed some light on some of the difficulties of being an international student and athlete.

“First of all, the culture is different and the language is hard to grasp. Sometimes, it’s hard to communicate with other students because they can’t seem to understand my English. It’s also difficult being an international student because the tuition fees are very expensive.”

Zhou`s badminton team-mate, Li Chen, who was an international student a long time ago believes that joining any varsity team offers many benefits to a full-time international student.

“It’s a good experience for an international student because it’s good for interaction as well as for learning and practicing English in this country. Usually, new international students don’t interact with other students and stay in their own groups but being apart of a team forces you to learn and adapt to others. I would definitely recommend it to any international student who is interested in varsity sports.”  

While some athletes can handle all that comes with being an international student, for some, it is too difficult or too expensive to leave the country.  And for others, even those who aren`t internationals, the challenges seem daunting.

Sting Badminton student-athlete David Georgiovski is one of those cases.

For him, the whole idea is something to marvel at.

“I don’t think I could ever be an international student because growing up, I knew I was going to go to university in Toronto, and I only commuted a half-hour and I can’t imagine actually going somewhere half-way across the world to live and study somewhere other than my home.” 

Despite the fact that being an international student and a varsity athlete can be challenging for most, Zhou doesn’t see her situation as a challenge but rather, an opportunity. She says that it’s not that difficult to manage because her program allows her to be flexible. 

Zhou, however, is a dedicated student and loves everything about badminton.

After the tournament ended that weekend, she went directly to class. As a student in the Animation program, Zhou still finds time for some of her other loves including playing video games – though, she has limited time to play them anymore because of her school and badminton. 

Zhou placed fifth at the OCAA Regionals. Disappointed by the results, she tries to keep things in perspective – traveling half-way around the world in pursuit of your education will do that for you.

Recruits interested in joining the Seneca Sting Varsity Badminton team are encouraged to contact: Melissa.Wiseman@senecacollege.ca, Sr. Sport Coordinator, or 416.491.5050 x33300.