{"id":77352,"date":"2019-03-18T16:53:15","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T21:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=77352"},"modified":"2019-03-18T16:53:15","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T21:53:15","slug":"international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/","title":{"rendered":"International athletes face special challenges as seniors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type='text\/javascript' src='https:\/\/cdn.knightlab.com\/libs\/soundcite\/latest\/js\/soundcite.min.js'><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/script><strong><strong>By Fernando Shan<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Medill Reports<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"dropcap\">Turning pro is the dream for student athletes. But many give up\u00a0 that dream due to injuries, players say.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think professional tennis is a realistic goal. Tennis is going to end at college [graduation]. It\u2019s time to move on,&#8221;said Rachel Le Comber, a senior on the UIC women\u2019s tennis team.<br \/>\nThe majority of student athletes need to figure out another career path before graduation.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The University of Illinois at Chicago women\u2019s tennis team consists of three seniors and two junior student athletes, including four European players who traveled thousands of miles to the United States four years ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho doesn\u2019t dream about being a professional tennis player?\u201d said Lejla Colic, a junior on the UIC women\u2019s tennis team.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_78130\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-78130\" style=\"width: 1100px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-78130\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Colic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"733\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Colic.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Colic-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Colic-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Colic-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-78130\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Junior Lejla Colic is in game action (Fernando Shan\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Bosnian athlete started playing tennis when she was 4 years old. Colic seemed destined to turn professional following her success on the ITF junior circuit when she was 14 years old. However, she hasn\u2019t been able to carry that top form into more professional tournaments due to injuries, the first of which occurred shortly after the ITF junior circuit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a serious injury. I couldn\u2019t play for two years,\u201d Colic said.<\/p>\n<p>Colic tore a tendon in her wrist, throwing her off the path to professional tennis, she said. With her love of tennis, in addition to her plan for earning a degree, Colic decided to pursue college tennis in the United States instead of staying in Europe. She wanted to be a well-rounded athlete with a good education and degree.<\/p>\n<p>Injuries have played a huge part in preventing other players on the team from pursuing professional play. Despite their young ages, these student athletes have suffered several injuries. They need to receive treatment after classes to keep their physical condition in good shape.<\/p>\n<p>As in Colic&#8217;s situation, enjoying four-year college tennis and getting a great education besides became a solid goal for these players. And a student athletes\u2019 experience may put them ahead of many candidates in future job searching.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudent athletes have a lot more to do than the average student,\u201d said Shannon Tully, the head coach of UIC women\u2019s tennis. \u201cThey learned (about) staying organized, being flexible and how to quickly correct mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Senior Rachel Le Comber, a British native, applied for the OPT (Optional Practical Training) visa,\u00a0 allowing\u00a0 international graduates\u00a0 to work in the United States for a year. She wants to work in the sports industry after graduating from UIC.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"soundcite\" data-id=\"589002024\" data-start=\"598000\" data-end=\"626000\" data-plays=\"1\">Tully is optimistic<\/span> about Le Comber&#8217;s next challenge to find a job here.<\/p>\n<p>Le Comber realizes, however, how difficult it is for an international student to find a longer-term career in the United States. Companies need to sponsor international employees after the OPT visa expires, which means they are less likely to hire a non-American worker. The collegiate experience boosts Le Comber\u2019s confidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy credibility as a student athlete helps,\u201d Le Comber said. \u201cI have the experience about sports. I know a lot about the ins and outs, related things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Le Comber is the only student on the team who has remained at UIC for her entire college career. Her bond to Chicago has been built over the past four years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChicago is my second home. There is a running joke that Shannon is our second mom. I got my \u2018mom\u2019 here. I have got my friends like my siblings,\u201d Le Comber said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have made a lot of the professional connections here. Job opportunities would be more likely here than in England. I\u2019d rather stay than go home.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>From a freshman rookie to the captain of the team, Le Comber still remembers her first day in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>It was \u201cterrifying, because they all knew each other and things,\u201d Le Comber recalled. \u201cI remember we had a team lunch. It was my first time meeting with our older assistant and spending time with the girls,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt like I would never feel used to it. I remember how daunting everything was but it feels natural to me now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Le Comber, other players on the team are all transfer students. Although they did not spend all four years in Chicago, the players appreciate the college life at UIC.<\/p>\n<p>Senior Georgie Sanders from England highly considered turning professional during her freshman year. As the years went by, she realized professional tennis was not going to be realistic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are at the high level, but we are not high enough,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cMy injury also doesn\u2019t help things, either. College tennis is as far as I can get.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_78131\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-78131\" style=\"width: 1100px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-78131\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Sanders.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"704\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Sanders.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Sanders-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Sanders-768x492.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Sanders-1024x655.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-78131\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Senior Georgie Sanders is ready to serve (Fernando Shan\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tennis runs in Sanders\u2019 blood. She is willing to continue playing tennis and stay involved in tennis at various levels.<\/p>\n<p>Beside playing tennis, Sanders commands several related work experiences. She interned with two pre-Wimbledon WTA tournaments in Nottingham and Birmingham in the U.K, In addition, Sanders worked in the media center at Wimbledon throughout the past three years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing involved in the tennis world and in the sports business industry somehow would be ideal,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders will graduate in May with a degree in psychology, but she is ambitious to continue her academic pursuits and is considering an MBA..<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have applied to UIC graduate school to do my MBA program. I took my GRE test last week and now I am waiting to hear about my admission decision,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders is more well-traveled than the average 21-year-old student because her father is a pilot. Sanders traveled globally for tennis tournaments with her father when she was a teenager.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went to some pretty cool places. I have had experience with other cultures,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders\u2019 parents expect her to go back home after this summer, but the British player wants to stay in Chicago and complete the MBA program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChicago is the best city in the world,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cI want to be around the team. I am not ready to leave everything and everyone behind because I built a life by myself here. I live two different lives. One is here, one at home. I really enjoy what I have here, I don\u2019t want to give it up yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sanders will exhaust her four-year eligibility playing for the UIC women\u2019s tennis team at graduation, according to the NCAA guidelines. Tully plans to offer Sanders a position working with the team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is the only one really pursuing a master\u2019s degree. If she does get accepted, my plan is to make her my graduate assistant,\u201d <span class=\"soundcite\" data-id=\"589002024\" data-start=\"280000\" data-end=\"287000\" data-plays=\"1\">Tully said<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders described the four-year experience in the United States as \u201cthe most invaluable experience in my life. I can\u2019t really put it into words. I am so grateful to everyone who gave me this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The NCAA has many regulations for player eligibility for transfer student athletes.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/uploads.knightlab.com\/storymapjs\/fffcab31c96303f21d5dd208625125e4\/viktoria-serfeit\/index.html\" width=\"100%\" height=\"800\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The transfer schools also regulate what credits they will accept when a student transfers and what additional academic requirements a student may have to meet. Senior Viktoria Seifert will not graduate with her peers this May. She needs a fifth year at UIC to complete all the required courses, she said.<\/p>\n<p>With this special scenario, Seifert can&#8217;t play for five years but plans to work in the athletic department during her fifth year.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_78132\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-78132\" style=\"width: 1100px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-78132\" src=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Serfeit.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"715\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Serfeit.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Serfeit-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Serfeit-768x499.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/Serfeit-1024x666.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-78132\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Senior Viktoria Serfeit (Left) with Sophomore Gerogia Gulin (Right) (Fernando Shan\/Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even though Seifert has another full year of school, she has decided to go back to Germany after completing the bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy plan was to go back home from the beginning, actually before I even started,\u201d Seifert said. \u201cI like the experience being here with the college tennis experience, but I know it is hard to be so far away from the family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seifert\u2019s older sister is finishing a master\u2019s degree in finance in Germany this summer. She influenced Seifert&#8217;s decision to major in accounting. Since she has a year remaining in school, Seifert has not confirmed her future career path specifically.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to do some internships to gain working experience to figure out what I do like and what kind of field I am interested in,\u201d Seifert said.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the uncertainties they may face, the seniors agree on appreciating their time in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the best four years I had in my life,\u201d Le Comber said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"featurecaption\">Photo at top: Pregame meeting for the University of Illinois at Chicago women&#8217;s tennis team. (Fernando Shan\/Medill)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Fernando Shan Medill Reports Turning pro is the dream for student athletes. But many give up\u00a0 that dream due to injuries, players say. \u201cI don\u2019t think professional tennis is a realistic goal. Tennis is going to end at college [graduation]. It\u2019s time to move on,&#8221;said Rachel Le Comber, a senior on the UIC women\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":540,"featured_media":78129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[452,28,31,4559],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beyond-chicago","category-general-interest","category-sports","category-winter-2019"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>International athletes face special challenges as seniors - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"International athletes face special challenges as seniors - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Fernando Shan Medill Reports Turning pro is the dream for student athletes. But many give up\u00a0 that dream due to injuries, players say. \u201cI don\u2019t think professional tennis is a realistic goal. Tennis is going to end at college [graduation]. It\u2019s time to move on,&#8221;said Rachel Le Comber, a senior on the UIC women\u2019s [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-18T21:53:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/feature.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"566\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"fernandoshan2019\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"fernandoshan2019\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"fernandoshan2019\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22bad2bba14277e3ca07b5fec29d109e\"},\"headline\":\"International athletes face special challenges as seniors\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-18T21:53:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1463,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3.amazonaws.com\\\/medill.wordpress.offload\\\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/feature.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Beyond Chicago\",\"General Interest\",\"Sports\",\"Winter 2019\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/\",\"name\":\"International athletes face special challenges as seniors - Medill Reports Chicago\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3.amazonaws.com\\\/medill.wordpress.offload\\\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/feature.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-18T21:53:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22bad2bba14277e3ca07b5fec29d109e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3.amazonaws.com\\\/medill.wordpress.offload\\\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/feature.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/s3.amazonaws.com\\\/medill.wordpress.offload\\\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/feature.jpg\",\"width\":1100,\"height\":566,\"caption\":\"Pregame meeting of University of Illinois at Chicago women's tennis team\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"International athletes face special challenges as seniors\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/\",\"name\":\"Medill Reports Chicago\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22bad2bba14277e3ca07b5fec29d109e\",\"name\":\"fernandoshan2019\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/da6ca5dd04920c815a85b47c28c9df7c5102dee8b8b715d5bece1cad263abfdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/da6ca5dd04920c815a85b47c28c9df7c5102dee8b8b715d5bece1cad263abfdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/da6ca5dd04920c815a85b47c28c9df7c5102dee8b8b715d5bece1cad263abfdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"fernandoshan2019\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\\\/chicago\\\/author\\\/fernandoshan2019\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"International athletes face special challenges as seniors - Medill Reports Chicago","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"International athletes face special challenges as seniors - Medill Reports Chicago","og_description":"By Fernando Shan Medill Reports Turning pro is the dream for student athletes. But many give up\u00a0 that dream due to injuries, players say. \u201cI don\u2019t think professional tennis is a realistic goal. Tennis is going to end at college [graduation]. It\u2019s time to move on,&#8221;said Rachel Le Comber, a senior on the UIC women\u2019s [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/","og_site_name":"Medill Reports Chicago","article_published_time":"2019-03-18T21:53:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1100,"height":566,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/feature.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"fernandoshan2019","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"fernandoshan2019","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/"},"author":{"name":"fernandoshan2019","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/22bad2bba14277e3ca07b5fec29d109e"},"headline":"International athletes face special challenges as seniors","datePublished":"2019-03-18T21:53:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/"},"wordCount":1463,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/feature.jpg","articleSection":["Beyond Chicago","General Interest","Sports","Winter 2019"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/","name":"International athletes face special challenges as seniors - Medill Reports Chicago","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/feature.jpg","datePublished":"2019-03-18T21:53:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/22bad2bba14277e3ca07b5fec29d109e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/feature.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/feature.jpg","width":1100,"height":566,"caption":"Pregame meeting of University of Illinois at Chicago women's tennis team"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/international-athletes-face-special-challenges-as-seniors\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"International athletes face special challenges as seniors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/","name":"Medill Reports Chicago","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/22bad2bba14277e3ca07b5fec29d109e","name":"fernandoshan2019","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da6ca5dd04920c815a85b47c28c9df7c5102dee8b8b715d5bece1cad263abfdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da6ca5dd04920c815a85b47c28c9df7c5102dee8b8b715d5bece1cad263abfdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da6ca5dd04920c815a85b47c28c9df7c5102dee8b8b715d5bece1cad263abfdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"fernandoshan2019"},"url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/fernandoshan2019\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/540"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}