Each week, we shift the emphasis to the left side of the hyphen and have a conversation with a Trojan scholar-athlete.
Name: Alison Ramos
Sport: Women's Tennis
Class: Junior
Major: Kinesiology (Minor in Health Communications)
GPA: 3.49
Jordan Moore (JM): How old were you when you first picked up a tennis racquet?
Alison Ramos (AR): I was 6 years old when I started playing tennis. It was totally random and a little lucky. When I was in first grade, Abigail Villena made me and a few other girls run a mile, do push-ups and other physical tests. I was chosen out of my entire elementary school. She gave me free tennis lessons and got me sponsored. Aba noticed that the racquet was bigger than me at the time, so she gave me a two-handed forehand and I always stuck with it. I started competing when I was 7 years old and I immediately fell in love with the sport.
JM: Were you and your family conscious of avoiding that teenage tennis drama that so many girls fall into?
AR: Haha! What teenage tennis drama??? Just kidding - I secretly loved the drama. It was very entertaining for me and would give me a greater incentive to win. I think my family and I knew that the drama was inevitable so my parents stressed the importance of how to deal with it. I just decided not to take bad line-calls and trash talking personal. I was more focused on winning anyway.
JM: Who were your tennis idols growing up?
AR: Monica Seles was my hero growing up. She has a two-handed forehand just like me. She was very passionate and competitive. I loved watching her play.
JM: I heard you did some work for Tennis Channel. Give me a breakdown of the state of professional women's tennis.
AR: Professional women's tennis has evolved so much in the past 10 years. It has become a lot more physical - if you aren't at least 6' tall, you aren't cracking the top 10. The size of these women is daunting - really scary.
JM: Favorite Williams' sister: Venus or Serena?
AR: Serena - her outfits are outrageous and I love her diva attitude.
JM: Speaking of divas, you told me your musical interests revolve around Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. I'm concerned...
AR: I love my girls.
JM: Sounds like you are a foodie too. Do you ever cook? What's the Ali Ramos' special?
AR: Yes, I LOVE FOOD! The Ali Ramos special - chocolate chip banana pancakes. My baking specialty: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I also barbecue - my friends say that I make the best burgers!
JM: Sounds good to me! However, your major and minor are health and fitness based. Give me an example of how they have helped you perform at a higher level as an athlete.
AR: After taking a sports nutrition class, I changed my diet to meet my body's demands. I am trying to eat less foods with "empty calories" and eat a lot of natural foods high in Vitamin K. Human anatomy was helpful for me to understand how my body works. I learned which muscles were being used during tennis and I am able to design an exercise prescription to make me stronger.
JM: You have three home matches this week, including a win over San Diego State already in the hopper. What do you focus on to make sure your body can handle the grind?
AR: Regeneration, refuel, and rest. I have to make sure I stretch after the matches to prevent fatigue. I have to make sure I eat healthy to have energy. I have to TRY to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, but that is going to be difficult. I have a paper due Thursday and a biology test Friday. Rough week!
JM: On the subject of refueling, fans can come see Ali play Thursday afternoon at Marks Stadium and eat In N' Out burgers at 2 p.m. by becoming members of the "7th Man Club." See ya there!
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Name: Alison RamosSport: Women's Tennis
Class: Junior
Major: Kinesiology (Minor in Health Communications)
GPA: 3.49
Jordan Moore (JM): How old were you when you first picked up a tennis racquet?
Alison Ramos (AR): I was 6 years old when I started playing tennis. It was totally random and a little lucky. When I was in first grade, Abigail Villena made me and a few other girls run a mile, do push-ups and other physical tests. I was chosen out of my entire elementary school. She gave me free tennis lessons and got me sponsored. Aba noticed that the racquet was bigger than me at the time, so she gave me a two-handed forehand and I always stuck with it. I started competing when I was 7 years old and I immediately fell in love with the sport.
JM: Were you and your family conscious of avoiding that teenage tennis drama that so many girls fall into?
AR: Haha! What teenage tennis drama??? Just kidding - I secretly loved the drama. It was very entertaining for me and would give me a greater incentive to win. I think my family and I knew that the drama was inevitable so my parents stressed the importance of how to deal with it. I just decided not to take bad line-calls and trash talking personal. I was more focused on winning anyway.
JM: Who were your tennis idols growing up?AR: Monica Seles was my hero growing up. She has a two-handed forehand just like me. She was very passionate and competitive. I loved watching her play.
JM: I heard you did some work for Tennis Channel. Give me a breakdown of the state of professional women's tennis.
AR: Professional women's tennis has evolved so much in the past 10 years. It has become a lot more physical - if you aren't at least 6' tall, you aren't cracking the top 10. The size of these women is daunting - really scary.
JM: Favorite Williams' sister: Venus or Serena?
AR: Serena - her outfits are outrageous and I love her diva attitude.JM: Speaking of divas, you told me your musical interests revolve around Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. I'm concerned...
AR: I love my girls.
JM: Sounds like you are a foodie too. Do you ever cook? What's the Ali Ramos' special?
AR: Yes, I LOVE FOOD! The Ali Ramos special - chocolate chip banana pancakes. My baking specialty: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I also barbecue - my friends say that I make the best burgers!
JM: Sounds good to me! However, your major and minor are health and fitness based. Give me an example of how they have helped you perform at a higher level as an athlete.
AR: After taking a sports nutrition class, I changed my diet to meet my body's demands. I am trying to eat less foods with "empty calories" and eat a lot of natural foods high in Vitamin K. Human anatomy was helpful for me to understand how my body works. I learned which muscles were being used during tennis and I am able to design an exercise prescription to make me stronger.
JM: You have three home matches this week, including a win over San Diego State already in the hopper. What do you focus on to make sure your body can handle the grind?
AR: Regeneration, refuel, and rest. I have to make sure I stretch after the matches to prevent fatigue. I have to make sure I eat healthy to have energy. I have to TRY to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, but that is going to be difficult. I have a paper due Thursday and a biology test Friday. Rough week!
JM: On the subject of refueling, fans can come see Ali play Thursday afternoon at Marks Stadium and eat In N' Out burgers at 2 p.m. by becoming members of the "7th Man Club." See ya there!
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