Johanna Kristina Olsson, a collegiate level tennis player, has graced Rollins with her talent as a freshman this year. From Sweden, Johanna first visited Rollins in the fall of 2012. After being on campus for just minutes, she was convinced that Rollins was the place for her. That same day, Johanna had the chance to meet some members of the team as well as the coach who greatly influenced her decision in becoming at Tar. After not so much deliberation, Johanna made her decision and was officially a member of the Rollins community. “When I first stepped on the campus I immediately noticed its beauty. Everyone seemed really nice and I noticed a lot of people were wearing shorts and flip flops which was nice to see coming from Sweden.” Having played tennis for 13 years, one could easily say Johanna is a talented player. Playing since she was only 6 years old, Johanna learned to love the game quickly. She began competing in matches at age 12 and quickly got herself noticed. Ranked top 10 in Sweden, she definitely had her fair share of competition; “Everyone knew everyone which created a lot of pressure. I just tried to stay focused on my goals for the game and listen to music.” Now, having moved to the states with a completely new environment and different language, one could only imagine that it would be hard to adapt. “Yeah, it was definitely a bit of a culture shock. I went to Wal-Mart for the first time… everything was so big! It was strange, and still is strange, to hear people speaking English all day every day. And the food, the portions are huge! But overall, I haven’t found too many things I don’t like about America!” Since the tennis season isn’t for another couple of months, the team has been meeting for practice five times a week including 6:30 a.m. morning workouts three times a week.
In Sweden tennis is more of an individual sport so its nice to have the support of my team when we start competing and travelling for matches. -Johanna Olsson ‘17
“So far practices haven’t been too bad, just really hot! Compared to back home, we’re more of a team here. In Sweden tennis is more of an individual sport so its nice to have the support of my team when we start competing and traveling for matches.” Overall, Johanna Olsson is a great addition to the women’s tennis team as well as the Rollins family. Being an international student, Johanna is faring very well with the new surroundings and people around her and will continue to flourish as a tennis player, student, and member of the Rollins community.
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