Name: Alexis Bonner

College you are attending: Calvin College

Sport: Tennis

Year graduated: 2017

What is it like to play sports in college?

“I love playing a sport in college. It is such a great way to make instant best friends and keeps me in the best shape that I have ever been in. Also, it keeps me busy, I never find myself in a dull moment. Playing a sport in college opened up a new world to me and it’s such a great way to be able to represent my school.”

How does your sport differ from high school to college?

“Playing a sport in college is so much better in college than in High School in my opinion because in college, you are looked up to and admired by so many people for playing for the school. The level of play is so much harder and the training is harder as well, but that is the main part of why I love it so much. In college, your team feels like your family as well. You are with them for morning practices, afternoon practices, in the weight room, and we are traveling together almost every weekend.”

What is it like to represent your school in sports?

“Representing Calvin in sports is such an incredible feeling. It’s one thing to be able to represent the school as a student, but then to be able to represent it as an athlete brings a completely different aspect to the program. I feel that more people are willing to ask me about Calvin when they see that I play tennis for them and it makes the person that I am talking to more interested in Calvin and in the program, which is a great feeling. I love when people ask me about my college and when I get to talk about playing tennis there. Not only these reasons, but also to know that this school reached out and wanted me to play for them; there is nothing like that feeling.”

How did you transition from high school to college?

“My transition from high school to college was surprisingly easy. It really was not much of an adjustment, as I was very ready to be in college. The biggest adjustment is coming back home from college. Having tennis be apart of college made it much easier as well because it is a sport that I have played my entire life and it helps me to feel more at home.”

What is your favorite part about playing sports in college? Why?

“My favorite part about playing a sport in college are the people. I absolutely love every person on my team and my coach is incredible. They really feel like my family and they make my experience and every practice so much fun. Also, at Calvin they try to really connect all of the teams so I have gotten to know a bunch of the other teams very well, which is such a cool aspect because we will go to each others matches, meets and games. It’s such a unique community and a great way to meet people that have all of this in common with me.”

What is the hardest part about playing sports in college? Why?

“The hardest part about playing a sport is balancing tennis with my academics. College is very hard as it is, so having harder school and playing an even more demanding sport takes up almost all of my days and it is difficult to find time to do extra things sometimes. For example, I also have a job so it is hard to balance that with tennis and school as well not to mention hanging with friends. But, I am always busy doing what I love and I am never bored so I can’t complain.”

How have you balanced academics and sports in college?

“Since our main season is in the spring, I try to load up on credits in the fall so I can take less during the season. It will be hard to balance it but once I get the hang of it I do not think it will be too bad. Also, playing a sport really helps me have better time management, so if anything it will help me to get ahead and plan further into my classes.”