Champions' TriBUne Archive

By: Angie Shakhraichuk 
 
Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that will give you the student-athlete's perspective and tell their story in their voice. Angelina Shakhraichuk, a junior from Kiev, Ukraine, has been limited this year by a back injury after recording 18 singles victories in each of her previous two seasons with the Baylor women's tennis team. She is the daughter of former professional hockey player Vadym Shakhraichuk, who was on the Ukrainian National Team at the 2002 Olympics and played on pro teams in Russia and Ukraine before retiring six years ago:

Growing up, I wasn't really interested in playing hockey, but I was always very proud of my dad and looked up to him as my primary role model on the ice. I always wanted to be like him and make him proud.
 
My family, they are all athletes, so I didn't really have a choice not to be an athlete. My mom ran track when she was young, my dad was a professional hockey player, my brother played hockey. So, my dad was like, "You need to find a sport." My family knew that sports give a lot of benefits when you are a child. It teaches you how to be responsible, patient, disciplined, and it makes you more mature.
 
I decided to try figure skating, on ice, to be close to my dad and brother. We had an ice rink close to our house. My dad and brother used to practice there, and I was like, "I need to be there, too." My dad was away a lot when I was growing up – he was playing far away from us – so I wanted to be close to him and see him more often.
 
I was actually really good at figure skating, but the girls were so jealous because I had a lot of success. They would close me in the bathrooms, steal my stuff and be rude to me. Practice was at 4 a.m. almost every day, so I missed a lot of school. Finally, me and my mom were like, "No more." I was small and I did not understand why those girls were doing that to me. I was always sad, because I was at an age where you make friends, but I was just getting opponents.
 
Again, one year after I quit figure skating, my dad said, "Find a sport." I was like, OK, what should I do? My grandfather found a tennis center next to the ice hockey arena. I tried my first practice when I was 7 years old, and I just completely fell in love with the sport. Tennis is a competitive, fun sport, very intense and very aristocratic, so everything about it was amazing to me.
 
I was very good in my age, I was beating almost everyone. I was just into it. I loved tennis with my whole heart. I was sleeping with my racket and dreaming about the next practice and the chance to compete. It's just my sport. And even after 12 years of playing, I love it in the same way.
 
I also had a difficult time growing up, because my family was always moving. My dad was getting offers to play all over the place. At first, it started in Germany and then we were in Russia and Slovakia and finally returned to Ukraine. It was hard, because I was alone all the time. I didn't have friends, because basically I was always moving, so there was no sense in trying to make friends. I knew I wanted to play tennis, so I didn't have time for friends and hanging out. I was so lonely, only tennis. It was wake up, practice, rest, practice, homework, sleep.  
 
We finally moved back to Ukraine, but I still had no friends. No one understood what I am about. I was so into tennis. I would try to explain to them, but they didn't understand. And almost all of my teachers were saying, "You're not going to achieve anything, you're never going to play tennis, so so focus on school!" I didn't study that good, because I was so focused on tennis. They told me I needed to stop playing, but I was like, "No, I'm going to prove to you that it was worth it."
 
I started playing the pro circuit when I was almost 16 years old, and it was difficult at first because I was not old enough. Everything is at a completely different level. It is so professional. You need to take care of your body, you need to eat properly. It was just completely different. And if you're not ready for it, there is no chance you're going to be successful.
 
In Ukraine, there are no good coaches, no players, no one has money. The federation doesn't support players. So, if you don't have money, or even if you have money, it's just too expensive. Also, there is a stereotype that if you go to a university, you're done with tennis, your career is over. I just want to prove that it's not true.
 
I was playing a tournament during the summer, and Baylor assistant coach Chris Fruschi texted me all about Baylor, that we're here to make you successful people not only on the tennis court but in life. We want to help you achieve your goal and we're going to make you a professional tennis player, while also making you become a great person. After I heard that, I was done. I didn't even really look at other choices.


 
It was my dream to come to America. I didn't know any English, maybe a little bit. In September, we had to make a choice. I passed my SAT in November and I was here in December and started school in January. And it was so hard, because I didn't know anything. I had to learn everything from the base. I didn't even know how to study for tests, I didn't know what quiz means, I didn't know what multiple choice was. In Ukraine, we had a completely different way to study. If not for tutoring every day and night, I would probably be home already.
 
At first, I didn't even know how to communicate with my teammates, because I was such a lonely person, and I didn't even know how to make friends. I felt like such an outsider. I'm just so thankful that my teammates were making an initiative. They were like, "No, we know your problem. We understand you. But, we're here for each other and we're going to go through everything together."
 
Last year was not easy, because the whole team changed. We had four freshmen come in, and I had to become a leader in a very short time period. I had to be an upperclassman, not a little girl anymore. I had to be a role model for the other girls. I said to myself that I need to grow up. I changed completely. I became more mature in communicating, I stood out. Looking back now, I'm like, Oh my gosh!
 
Tennis is such an individual sport, you're all about yourself. But, in college, you have other girls next to you, and it's completely different. I had to be a leader, help others and lead them. I have to be a good listener, a good communicator and be good at solving problems. I didn't know how to do that, but with time I adjusted. Also, I was always thinking that you need to treat people how you want to be treated. I'm going to do everything that I would want people to do for me. And it worked.
 
Last year, we had a difficult start. But, we took it and we turned it around. We were trusting the process and listening to coaches, and I think we achieved a lot. I'm just so proud of everyone on the team, because we didn't think, "Oh, we've lost seven straight matches. We can just give up. We still have three more years left." No, we wanted to turn it around and do it for each other.
 
We weren't even thinking about making the NCAA Tournament. Of course, it was our goal, but the only thing that mattered was for us to give our best every day. Each game, we were playing our hearts out. And we got to the NCAA. To play there, it was just an honor, especially because I got to play there next to my girls, next to my family. Next to my Baylor family.


 
My back pain started in September. I just had a slight pain. I didn't think it was anything serious, but the pain didn't go away. I couldn't play in the fall. It was a hard time for me, because I didn't practice a lot and I was still in pain. I went home over the break, and I felt like it got better. I didn't feel any pain. Then, the season started, and it came back. This semester has been just the hardest one for me. I haven't been able to play a lot of matches because of the pain. But, I wanted to be there, I wanted to be a part of big wins, I wanted to share the win with the team. I just couldn't. Anyway, I think it has made me stronger, and I can't wait to be back.
 
I'm doing treatments every day, seeing a lot of doctors and doing everything I can to get back. My athletic trainer, Heather, and physical therapist, Carrie, are doing everything possible to get me back on the court. They have supported me through this hard time, and I am so thankful to them. I know I'm going to get back to playing my best tennis. I have a goal to become a great player, to be the best, and I'm going to achieve it.
 
It was hard when I first moved here, because my city back home is so huge. I came here, and Waco is so small. I didn't know what to do here, how to talk to people, so I just stayed in my dorm all the time. But, I got used to it. I don't feel like I'm away from home anymore, I feel like this is my home.
 
My dream, besides tennis of course, is to do something to help people. I wanted to do pre-med, but it was just so hard with the language and doing tennis at the same time. I'm studying health and kinesiology, and I think I'm going to get my master's in athletic training. I want to stay close to sports, but also help people. And with my injury, I know how hard it is, and I want to help people deal with it, too.


 
I want to go back home someday, just because I love it so much. But, things are so tough there. When the revolution started five years ago, I remember looking out my window and seeing people killed on the streets. Every day, I'm looking at news and I see all these people dying for country. I don't like to think about politics, but it's sad that Ukraine and Russia would make so many people die. It's really scary.
 
It really bothers me, because I don't want that to be the future for my people. I want all the best for my country. Right now, I don't have the power to change anything, but I want to achieve something really big in my life so that I can go back and help the country.
 
Lastly, I just want to say thank you to Baylor and my coaches for giving me this opportunity. For giving me a chance to compete and represent this great school while also having a chance to get an amazing education.
 
Sic'Em, Bears!

Previous Champions' TriBUne Features
Women's Basketball - Lauren Cox (March 22, 2019)
Track & Field - Wil London (March 7, 2019)
Men's Basketball - Jake Lindsey (March 4, 2019)
Softball - Nicky Dawson (Feb. 21, 2019)
Baseball - Josh Bissonette (Feb. 14, 2019)
Men's Tennis - Will Little (Jan. 31, 2019)
Men's Basketball - King McClure (Jan. 17, 2019)
Women's Basketball - Chloe Jackson (Jan. 3, 2019)
Football - Blake Blackmar (Dec. 13, 2018)
Volleyball - Braya Hunt (Nov. 29, 2018)
Soccer - Jackie Crowther (Nov. 16, 2018)
Cross Country - Alison Andrews-Paul (Nov. 8, 2018)
Football- Ira Lewis (Nov. 6, 2018)