**Recruiting Horror Stories™ are posted every Tuesday to provide athletes' first-hand experiences of what can go wrong during the recruiting process.
Lenien Jamir is a Division I Tennis player in her Sophomore year at Monmouth University. She is from Assam, India and wanted to start her college tennis career in the US. After emailing many college coaches, she came across Monmouth University. The recruiting process was very different for Jamir. Being so far from the US, she was unable to go on official visits and look at different colleges like most students do. She had to trust her gut and go with what school she felt was the best choice for her.
Related: 6 Must-Do Steps for International Student-Athletes
Covid-19 Threw a Wrench in Her Plans
Unfortunately, COVID-19 threw a wrench in her plans and stalled her transition from high school to college. Being recruited during a pandemic was already hard to begin with, but being recruited from India made it 10x harder. Jamir was very excited to go to college and play for her school.
Due to the pandemic, Jamir was not able to fly to the US to start her college experience in the fall. Instead she stayed home in India and had to watch her new teammates have fun from afar. She kept in touch over the phone but was missing out on all team practices and college experiences.
Related: Are Disparities of Recruiting During COVID-19 Affecting Athletes?
The Unexpected Happened
The spring season came around and Jamir was on the next flight to New Jersey. When she finally arrived, the unexpected happened. She twisted her ankle during a workout. She went to sports-med and what she thought was a little accident was something more serious. She had sprained her ankle and had to sit out for most of the season. Even though she finally was getting her college experience, she had to sit out once more during tennis which is a big reason she chose Monmouth.
Related: Recruiting Horror Stories™: I Rolled My Ankle at a Recruiting Camp
Unlike most Recruiting Horror Stories™, nothing went wrong with Jamir's recruiting process, but she hit many roadblocks that postponed her playing on her dream team. Her story reminds us to always expect the unexpected, and not giving up on our dreams.
* Originally published on November 9, 2021, by Sydney DeNardo
