Southern Belle takes MSU
9/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Virkus: Day in the Life of Women's Tennis
Entry #1: Emily "Halfcalf" Metcalf
By: Emmy Virkus
When it comes to moving away for college, all of us have gone through the several emotions that come with shifting into a new area with new faces, new classes and an entire new daily routine that can cause anxiety levels to skyrocket. On top of the "firsts" that come with being away from home, an even bigger challenge to face is taking on a Division I sport. For freshman Emily Metcalf, however, this transition has been nothing short of a fun, new adventure for the next chapter in her book- MSU(WT).
Metcalf was born and raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas, as a sister to Chris Metcalf (21) and daughter to Gene and Kim Metcalf. Coming from the south, her roots are very obvious through an accent, cowgirl boots and Chick-fil-A obsession.
"Saying goodbye to my parents was one of the hardest parts about moving for me," shared Metcalf. "I miss them already, but I'm really looking forward to when they visit during the weekend of the Air Force football game".
As an actuarial science major, Metcalf's favorite subject in school is statistics. After these first couple of days of class, she has determined that her integrative social science (ISS) class is one of her favorites, specifically because her professor makes it more enjoyable with his humorous personality.
Although Metcalf is a dedicated student, she has actually already managed to miss one of her kinesiology classes due to her roommate, freshman Davina Nyugen (also on the team), falsely informing her of the wrong day and time that the class was occurring.
"I was literally 'that girl' that ran to my class, which was fortunately only about five minutes away," Metcalf laughed. "It was so embarrassing showing up late and having everybody stare, but it sure made for a really good story".
With three Emily's on the team, "Halfcalf" quickly became the new nickname for Metcalf. As the girls have been split up for our first couple of eight-hour weeks, she had a lot of fun at her first practice with sophomore-teammates Lexi Baylis and Aslina Chua.
"Playing with Lexi, having the chance to adjust to such an intense practice with such an upbeat doubles partner, made me feel very comfortable and confident," explained Metcalf.
Unlike her first practice, however, she did not have too much fun during the fitness test. Despite her great results, she was very happy for it to be over.
"The best part about the test was afterwards when I went to the cafeteria with Davina and Lexi to indulge in chocolate cake and talk about how awful it was," Metcalf shared.
Baylis has already passed on the "Lexi Special" to both Metcalf and Nguyen, which is all of the chocolate in the cafeteria put into a single bowl.
As a student-athlete, Metcalf has a lot on her plate, but has revealed that she enjoys the challenge of juggling new duties and is really enjoying her beginning moments as a Michigan State Spartan.
One highlight of Metcalf's first couple of weeks in East Lansing was making signs and standing out at ESPN College Gameday last Saturday. She joined the women's tennis team at 4 a.m. to get a prime spot for some airtime. After Gameday on Munn Field, Metcalf and Nguyen got to pose for a picture on the sidelines with NBA Champion and Spartan Great Draymond Green during the football game versus Oregon.
"I fan girl-ed so hard," said Metcalf about being on the field with Green. "I was happy Michigan State pulled out a win, especially against Oregon. ESPN College Gameday was awesome besides the waking up at 3:30 a.m. part. Lexi and I pushed our way to the second row and learned to make our signs out of more stable poster board. I'll be ready for next year."
Players Mentioned
