“The People Made The Experience”: Kvapilova's Time as a Student-Athlete

For the last few years, more than 5,600 miles have separated Texas State women’s tennis student-athlete Hana Kvapilova from her family in Ústí nad Orlicí, Czech Republic. But what she did not know yet was the new family that was awaiting her in the United States.

A land with new experiences was waiting for her: a new way of training, a new type of learning, new friendships, among others. But the one experience that was as foreign to her as her country to live in: flying.

Her new journey to the United States was the first time she flew in her life. 

“It was scary, all the transfers, but I also didn’t know that they can change gates,” Kvapilova said on her confusing first experience at the airport.

Once she found her way to the correct gate, the giddy 20-year-old had her eyes glued to the airplane window and was taking pictures of the clouds and landscape from above. 

She remembered the generosity of a stranger that switched seats with her so she could sit by the window as he saw the excitement beaming from her. 

With this new chapter of life, she was also going to have to acclimate into a new culture and new language – on her own and without her family around her. 

Prior to her three-year career at Texas State, Kvapilova was a student-athlete at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida. She loved being in Tampa, particularly because it was the first time seeing an ocean as the Czech Republic is a land-locked country. 

Not only was Kvapilova getting to play the sport she loved in another country that she has never been to, she was also challenging those who doubted her.

The people in the Czech Republic knew how much Kvapilova loved her family. She described herself as a “family-type and career-type of person.” No one believed that she could make it being that far away from her family for such a long time. 

However, it meant so much to Kvapilova that she was able to get an education while getting to play the sport she loved. 

“In Czech, it is not possible to do both, you either must go pro and play tennis or study,” said Kvapilova. “I was so happy I could use my hobby as a job to pay for my school and that I could do both.”

She was also having to prepare herself for the number of practices she would be doing compared to her normal routine, some saying she would not survive. In the Czech Republic, she practiced less than she would be in the U.S. 

Then there was the new language barrier. Coming to the United States, Kvapilova thought she knew a lot of English, but during the transition some elements were tricky. 

“It was not hard to study in another language, I was having trouble with the different accents of my teammates.”

In Tampa, Kvapilova had teammates from New Zealand, Australia and England. They were all fast talkers with strong accents. 

Sometimes she had to translate things to understand. Her professors were always kind enough to pronounce words effectively for her so she was never struggling in the classroom. 

Kvapilova had to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to enroll in college, where she had to study and learn things like American idioms. 

Some of these famous idioms included, “it’s raining cats and dogs” and “once in a blue moon.” However, one idiom she learned threw off her American teammates: “being the top banana.” Kvapilova recalled saying this phrase to them and they had to ask her what she was trying to say. None of them knew that it meant to be the most important person in a group. 

Another thing Kvapilova had to adjust to was being on a team for the first time. 

Back home in juniors, she played for herself because there were no teams.

“It was cool to finally have a team and have fun on a bus, or a plane, and having people cheer for you,” said Kvapilova. “I absolutely loved it. I love the crowds. I love when people are watching and cheering for me. I just love it.”

Kvapilova understood that playing as an individual she could not mess it up for anyone but enjoyed playing for someone and a team. 

“It feels better when you win a point and it’s not just for you but for the team,” said Kvapilova. “It has more meaning for me.”

In her time at Hillsborough, Hana and her team made it to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Championships in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The team finished as runner-up both years. 

Kvapilova loved Florida, but knew she wanted to get to know another state, preferably one with similar weather. She also wanted to experience the atmosphere of a big school.

She received more than 30 others from schools across the country, one of them being Texas State.

What hooked in Kvapilova to be a Bobcat was that Texas State was the only school that gave her the opportunity to bring her roommate, teammate, and friend from Hillsborough with her, Renata Gonzalez. This was her deciding point in making the transition for her junior year.

“Arriving to Texas State with Hana was one of the best things that could have happened to me,” said Gonzalez. “The fact that I arrived at Texas State with Hana made me feel safer because I knew I had a great friend I could always count on.”

The only thing Kvapilova knew about Texas was the heat, especially over the summer. She was just hoping to meet nice people.

When Kvapilova did arrive to Texas, she was very excited to see her native Czech dish, the Kolache, featured in many bakeries and donut shops. 

Her favorite is cream cheese but knows they cannot compete with the ones in Czech.

“They are slightly different than back home,” said Kvapilova. “I saw so many that are chocolate, and we don’t really have chocolate kolaches. We have poppy seeds or cream cheese.”

After settling into her new life at Texas State, Kvapilova made an immediate impact on the team with a big win. In her first fall semester, she beat 58th-ranked Jayci Goldsmith from Texas A&M at the ITA Texas Regional Championships. After the match she met up with her teammates so they could congratulate her, becoming one of her favorite moments as a Bobcat.  

“We got out of the car at Chipotle, and my teammates ran toward me and hugged me, and it was just so beautiful how they were so happy for me,” said Kvapilova. 

In her time being a collegiate student-athlete, Kvapilova never had a teammate from the Czech Republic, no one she could express herself to in her own language, talk to about their shared culture, or travel back home with.

But she gained a second family, a home away from home. 

“My teammates were there to hug me when I needed it,” said Kvapilova, “and gave me their shoulder to cry on.”

The team would have Taco Fridays at the local meat market and talk about their week of what they were struggling with or excited about. 

In her last season Kvapilova experienced another favorite moment as a Bobcat. During the Sun Belt Championships this past April, she clinched her singles match in the first round against App State to advance the team into quarterfinals.

“When I clinched the match, my teammates ran towards me and hugged me. That is why I was there; those moments are just unbelievable.”

Kvapilova also got the chance to make lasting memories with her teammates across the world. 

Gonzalez was able to visit the Czech Republic and meet Kvapilova’s family.

“I felt like they were my second family and saying goodbye to them felt as hard as saying bye to mine,” said Gonzalez.

Kvapilova returned the trip and was able to visit Mexico to meet Gonzalez’s family.

“It was cool I was able to see those places,” said Kvapilova. “I probably would have never seen Mexico if it was not for my teammate and roommate Renata.”

Kvapilova and Gonzalez both hold the same memories of traveling close to their heart.

“Hana became more than a friend or a teammate to me,” said Gonzalez. “She simply became my family away from home. Both being from different countries and having no family around us made us closer.”

The two ended their tennis journey together as Bobcats, getting to share senior day and graduation.

Kvapilova also got to visit the Big Apple with Gonzalez and Andrea Fuchs while working the summer of 2021 in Boston as a tennis camp coach to kids.

Being a coach taught her about the different types of players there are, ranging from ones that are troublesome to sincere. Having this experience made her ensure that she was a coachable player in return.

“I still had one more season in front of me,” said Kvapilova. “I was happy I still got the chance to be a player because I loved to compete and being a coach, but I missed the competing part.”

This past May, Kvapilova graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in coaching. She was even one of two athletes to give a speech at the “T” Ring Ceremony, a Texas State tradition where graduating athletes receive a commemorative ring in recognition of their achievement.

She is currently back home with her family in the Czech Republic. She plans on sharing her knowledge and teaching English to others, specifically children. Her mom also has a tennis academy and will help with camps over the summer, and will coach her brother as well. 

Kvapilova will also continue playing tennis competitively in Germany. She became friends with one of her opponents at Hillsborough and was offered the opportunity to play for their club team league. 

“Tennis will always be a part of my life,” said Kvapilova. 

The fifth-year senior walks away from Texas State knowing that her years as a Bobcat were filled with incredible experiences, not only at school and on the court, but outside of that with her friends and teammates.  

“I am super happy in making the step of coming to the United States and taking the opportunity,” said Kvapilova. “The people made the experience.”

Not only did Kvapilova gain new experiences and friendships, but she also gained another family.