It was Elina Vihrova’s first week on campus, and her phone wasn’t working.
“On the first day of class I couldn’t find the right building,” she said. “I was stressed, and I was late.”
With no GPS to get around Penn State’s University Park campus, and no way to contact anyone, Vihrova was rattled. She had no idea how to get to her classes. You wouldn’t know it in the gym or the classroom, though, where the the Latvian freshman was quietly getting to work. Head coach Sarah Shire Brown wasn’t even aware of the issue at the time, until Vihrova’s father contacted her to tell her Vihrova was lost.
“I didn’t even know how stressful it was for her,” Brown said. Now that she knows Vihrova better, she’s heard the story several times, but during that first week, Vihrova seemed to be all business.
After traveling for 24 hours to get to Penn State, Vihrova was so tired her first day on campus she barely remembers it. But she spent that first week quietly adjusting, finding it exciting.
Vihrova was aware of the American college system from a young age since she regularly came to the United States to train at Woodward summer camp. Her father—2000 Olympic floor gold medalist Igors Vihrovs—was invited to coach there, and Vihrova joined him once she started gymnastics at age eight.
College coaches show up at Woodward to coach and recruit, and when Vihrova was about 12, she decided she’d like to pursue a college career in America. Lativa is a small country, and Vihrova saw more academic opportunity for herself there.
The recruiting process for prospective international student-athletes is complex due in part to compliance issues but also because it’s simply more difficult for coaches to meet athletes. Additionally, the rules are different for Canada than other countries. Brown was familiar with the Canadian rules—Canadian Amy Bladon was already on the team—but recruiting Vihrova was a learning process.
Part of the difficulty is in language: Not just Vihrova’s grasp of English, but also translating what an American university considers “ninth grade,” for example, to the Latvian educational system.
Things were even more complicated in Vihrova’s case due to the COVID pandemic. The United States closed the border in 2020—in the middle of Vihrova’s recruiting process—so she couldn’t attend camp at Woodward where Brown had hoped to meet with her. Staying in touch with Vihrovs from afar via Facebook calls, Brown was also managing recruiting compliance and Penn State’s entrance requirements for international students.
“Just because she’s a strong athlete doesn’t mean we could just get her in,” Brown said.
International applicants to Penn State are required to pass one of several English proficiency exams. Vihrova took three or four of them—”All of them!” she said—and passed on her final try after spending a lot of time studying with preparatory books and a tutor.
“It was so frustrating because I knew she was intelligent, I knew she’d be great here, I knew we had the resources to help her, but you can’t change Penn State’s admission rules,” Brown said.
Vihrova immediately proved Brown right, earning a 4.0 GPA in her first semester on campus, in spite of the GPS issues her first week and the adjustment to the American educational system. She noted that materials are presented differently here than they were in her schooling in Latvia, and it took a while to adjust.
Vihrova was quiet at the beginning of her time on campus, partially because she was self-conscious about her English. Brown was unsure whether Vihrova understood her at times because she would often do more in the gym than was assigned, focusing on flexibility and stretching in a way that can sometimes get lost in college gymnastics.
Brown’s goal was to make the gym a safe space, since it was the most familiar thing in Vihrova’s new world. She stepped back and let Vihrova adjust, and then as travel began in the 2022 season and the team was together for long stretches, the pair got to know each other better.
Now, Brown and Vihrova understand each other and have the assistance of Vihrova’s “people,” junior Sarah Duhe and sophomore Grace Harrell. The trio became fast friends in and out of the gym, and Duhe and Harrell help bridge the understanding gap for Vihrova if it does come up.
“Elina’s role on our team is a leader by example,” Duhe said by email. “She is my best friend and No. 1 hype man.”
While Vihrova remains quiet, she is all business in the gym and motivates her teammates to get the job done. Harrell noted by email that Vihrova is often the last person to leave practice and that she never settles for less than her best.
Now in her second year on campus, Vihrova is living a pretty standard American student-athlete life. She lives off campus, utilizes the support Penn State offers all of its student-athletes, and dedicates herself to her academics and training.
As for most college students, it’s Vihrova’s friendships that stand out. Duhe sometimes helps Vihrova when English words come up that she doesn’t recognize. Harrell has a similar major and has many classes with Vihrova, so they often work together. “Elina is such a special person, and I am so glad Penn State and gymnastics brought us together!” said Harrell.
Her friends recognize Vihrova’s impressive academic achievements and speak proudly of her work in the classroom. Duhe pointed out the impressiveness of Vihrova’s first semester 4.0.
“It amazes me that she is taking college level courses in her third language,” she said. “Not many people can do that.”
Vihrova’s parents have even moved to the United States so they can feel closer and Vihrova can visit them during the holiday breaks. It’s a relief to Brown, too, who recognizes that the early January start of the competition season means her athletes’ winter break is very short. It’s not worth it to travel long distances, even for some gymnasts’ whose parents live in the country.
A business major, Vihrova hopes to open her own business in the future. Her days competing for Latvia are behind her, as she focuses on her career as a Nittany Lion. Despite a hard first few weeks, Vihrova has settled impressively into academics and gymnastics and is enjoying the ride with her people by her side.
READ THIS NEXT: Inside Misty-Jade Carlson’s Work to Revolutionize Utah’s Digital Content
Article by Emily Minehart
Like what you see? Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year!
4 comments