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Diamond
in the Rough Katrin Gaber wears a reminder on her finger of the success she and her tennis teammates shared last year. The ring, set with a large purple rectangular stone sparkles on her finger. All the members of the last year’s team received one after becoming the Western Athletic Conference champions.
Another conference title is a goal for Gaber and the rest of the team, but instead of a WAC crown Gaber is in the hunt for a title in Conference USA. This season will mark the first for TCU in C-USA. “We (are) trying to get another one,” she said. “… If we win again this year.” Gaber is set to play at the number one position on the team’s lineup, which is ranked No. 22 according to the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls. The senior international marketing major from Anger, Austria transferred to TCU from Campbell University in North Carolina in August 2000. Roland Ingram, head women’s tennis coach, said Gaber almost didn’t make it onto the TCU team. “I almost didn’t take her—I didn’t think she was good enough,” he said. “Now she plays No. 1 for us.” Ingram said Gaber has proved her worth through her hard work and determined motivation. “She works very, very hard. She always give 100 percent on the court and in practice,” Ingram said. “I wish I had a dozen of them on the team like her.” Gaber won the Flight A bracket of the 2001 Conference USA Individual Women’s Tennis Tournament in November. She said she was surprised to learn during the tournament that she was selected as the top seed. “I was kind of shocked. I thought now I have to be good,” she said. “I had so (many) troubles during that time—my car broke down and I was behind in my studies…But I forgot all about it on the court and I actually played my best tennis.” Gaber started playing tennis when she was about 9 years old, playing for fun with her family, but she didn’t start practicing seriously until she was older, she said. “I played my first tournament when I was 14, which was very late,” Gaber said. “I only caught up maybe two or three years ago, when I moved up in ranking.” Her brother, Hanspeter, who is 10 months younger than she, plays tennis at Denver University and played on the professional tour for a year. Gaber said her motivation for tennis and for school has increased over time. “When I was 16 or 17, sometimes coaches tell you… to go running and you (complain). Now instead of the coach saying it, I will (say) ‘Coach, you know I think we should go running.’ And the same with studies. I know what I (have to) do.” Gaber returns home to Austria about two times a year, at Christmas and during the summer, she said. “It’s not a big problem being far away because ever since I was little I used to travel a lot for tournaments. So I’m used to it,” she said. When she is home, Gaber said she spends time playing various sports, such as skiing, swimming, jogging and hiking. “We live in the countryside so we spend a lot of time outdoors,” she said. “Coach (Ingram) never wants me to go home because he’s afraid I’m going to get injured.” Gaber transferred to TCU because of the tennis program, which is larger here than at Campbell, she said. Gaber said she likes the professional feel of the practices and said she only has good things to say about Coach Ingram. “He just always has a positive attitude. He would always help us,” she said. “Even if it’s not on the court. He’s kind of like a Dad.” Gaber said that everyone on the tennis team is positive about the coming season.
Gaber will graduate in May 2003, but this is her last semester playing tennis with TCU. Gaber said she is considering playing tournaments in the future. “If this works out well this year, I’ll play tournaments. But I will only do it if I find a sponsor. It gets very costly, the tournaments,” she said. “I wasn’t even sure if I should do it, but my brother thought I should give it a try. All my friends tell me I should try.” Gaber said if she doesn’t find a sponsor she will probably continue her education and get her master’s degree in business. “(My) dream would be being successful in turning professional. Staying healthy is the main thing. So many people try and get injured,” she said. Ingram said he has seen Gaber improve since coming to TCU and he’s seen her win some difficult matches. “She’s good for TCU. She represents this university very well,” Ingram said. While Gaber is still unsure of the direction her future will take after TCU, she said she is focused on having fun this season and playing well. Gaber said she is fairly confident the team will win the conference championships this year. “I think we will win it. We know the teams and we know we could win the whole thing again,” she said. “Our main goal is to (make it to) Nationals....” Bethany
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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