University of North Carolina Athletics
My Carolina Experience: Laura Slater
December 3, 2014 | Women's Tennis
By Laura Slater
UNC Women's Tennis
Class of 2014
Soon my four-and-a-half years spent in the United States will come to an end. When I first moved here I started documenting my experiences but they never made it past the saved documents folder on my old Lenovo laptop. Feeling nostalgic about this important chapter in my life coming to an end, I felt inclined to put together a few words about my experience at Carolina as a Brit and college athlete.
When people ask me what I miss most about England I usually tell them the people – our uncanny sense of humour, the politeness, the inherent 'Britishness' that you do not think of until you leave Britain. I miss the food and cannot wait to be home for my Sunday roasts once again. However, I think I will miss almost everything about America and my amazing experience here about which I could write an entire book.
My four years spent on the women's tennis team were some of the best of my life. There were no shortage of good times - it felt like it kept getting better and better with every semester. We won the ACC championship my freshman year, the National Indoor championships my junior year, and came up a set short of winning the NCAA title my senior year. To the team's utter heartbreak, we did not reach our year's goal of becoming national champions, but boy did we come close. Watching my teammates during that tournament was an adrenalin rush. I, and many other Tar Heels cheered until we could not speak, and though it ended in floods of tears and waves of emotion, our tournament campaign was the most successful of any UNC women's tennis team in the history of the program dating back to the mid-1970s, long before myself or any of my teammates were born.
When we went on the football field to get honored for our historic run at the NCAAs this past fall I worked extra hard to keep my composure as I waved to thousands of Tar Heels fans, saying goodbye. Inside I'll be saying goodbye and thank you to America too. To every path I crossed, every family who took me in and fed me delicious food, to every welcoming soul who showed me reasons to make this place a home – there are no words to adequately express my gratitude.
On the flight home in December, the same will be true. Feelings of both relief at finally going home as well as a nostalgic kind of loss and mourning as I close a significant chapter in my life in America. Luckily the world is a small place and I look forward to becoming a part of the Trans Atlantic alumni network when I continue my master's program in Bath and London. Trust me, I will coming back at every opportunity.
Go Heels!
Editor's Note: Laura Slater was a four-year letter winner on the University of North Carolina women's tennis team from 2011-14. She is a native of Frimley, England.
Players Mentioned
