Hilary Hager: Life and Laughter
5/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
"I feel like there's so much I haven't done that I should have," said Hager. "Honestly, going to Golden Harvest is the big thing I haven't done, and I just did that this morning. It was awesome breakfast food."
Despite recently graduating, there are, however, a few things she has left to accomplish. "I have always wanted to be in the Beaumont Tower," she said.
"I've always wanted to go inside and as gross as it is, I want to go swimming in the Red Cedar. It sounds disgusting, but I want to do it."
Hager has been on and off the court due to injury since her freshman year, but with her clearly unique perspective, she's learned to contribute to the team in other ways.
"[My team has] made it abundantly clear that I provide a unique aspect in the sense that I'm the goofy one of the team," Hager said. "I'm the wisecracker, cracking jokes here and there. I'm kind of the one that can bring down the seriousness when there is a lot of tension at times. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it helps.
"One of the girls, sophomore Athena (Trouillot), she would ask me when she'd change over to tell her a joke to get her to relax. Like, `I need something, just make me laugh.' That actually made me feel so good, so I could still provide that support, not being out there, but just helping them even though I'm not on the court."
Hager has made the most of her experience as a Spartan despite her challenges off the court. For her, being a Spartan is two-fold, one part perseverance and one part experience.
"At Michigan State, there are a lot of opportunities out there that this place gives you," said Hager. "Part of that is tradition, my dad went to school here and I went to school here. I feel like a lot of people here are like that. They know someone who has gone to school here and they wanted to carry that on. With that, being a Spartan is ... I don't think that's something that you can tell people what it is. It's an experience. I can't put it into words."
With the Spartan experience nearly behind her, she reflects on how she gained perseverance as a student-athlete in injury limbo.
"I'm definitely more independent in the sense that I'm not living at home," she said. "Another huge part is that I'm part of a team, like I was here. I've also learned that you don't always have to be so independent, and it's good to rely on other people and know that it's ok to ask for help. That's one big thing I learned.
"I was constantly injured when I was here. End of my freshman year, I tore my ACL, I was out for a year. Then, two weeks I'm back, I had to have hand surgery, and I was out again. It was physically and mentally exhausting having that all the time. Having my teammates and realizing that I can't do this on my own, I need someone to bring me food because I can't walk to the cafeteria and stuff like that. I think that's the biggest thing that I'm taking away. It's ok to need other people and it's ok to ask for help."
Of course, challenges came with fond memories as well and with Hager's fun attitude, there are sub-par memories to look back on fondly.
"My freshman year, I didn't know where anything was, so I was like, yeah that sounds good [for scheduling]," Hager said. "I lived in South Wonders, all my classes were at Akers and Holmes, just completely on the other side of campus at eight in the morning. I think that would have helped me a lot, especially because I wasn't used to it, and I had to walk 20 minutes to get to class at 7:30 in the morning."
Even before she had to adjust to the cold of Michigan winters, Hager reflects back on how she began playing tennis in the first place.
"I got started one summer when I was still in elementary school," said Hager. "I was staying with my grandmother for a couple weeks with my sister and she would take us to summer camps at country clubs. She said that every young lady needs to know how to play tennis or golf, so I chose tennis and that's pretty much how I started.
"When I was younger, my dad played baseball here at State and my mom played basketball, and I used to play softball and basketball, so they were constantly coaching me on every sport I had, so tennis was actually something they knew nothing about, so it drew me closer to it because they couldn't coach me.
"I want to say the most fun I ever had playing before I was playing here was playing in high school because it's the same team setting because tennis is usually an individual thing. Making tennis a team thing was a lot of fun for me."
The team experience remained constant for Hager across her time at MSU, growing closer with the people who she has met throughout her collegiate career.
"I would say the biggest thing I take away from all this is the people I've met," Hager said. "Some of my best friends that I've pretty much ever had have been on the team, so getting to know them and getting to know people from different parts of the world, also since I'm probably not going to stay in Michigan, I'll know people from elsewhere.
"My teammates were a huge help [in overcoming injury]. They're the people I'm with 24/7. I am constantly with those girls. I'm with them everyday for at least four hours, so I definitely took most of that from them."
So, despite consistent struggles keeping her from competition, Hager learned to make the most out of her experience at MSU and with that, to make it easier to laugh and feel a sense of accomplishment out of getting some good breakfast food.
Players Mentioned
