Image Contributor
;

Name: Michelle BrownSport: Tennis

Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.

Class: COL ’12

Studying: Pre-med

High School Career: MVP of Marlborough School all four years. Captain of the team senior year. Led team to CIF Championship.

Do you miss home?

Yeah, I miss it. I am one of seven, so I was very close to my brothers and sisters. My parents are far away, so I miss [them]. And I miss the weather – the sun’s not out here ever.

Why did you decide to come to Georgetown?

I wanted to go to the East Coast just to get away for four years because I knew I could always go back. And why I picked Georgetown? Well, I just got in and said, `Okay, I guess I’ll go there!’ I had no choosing process whatsoever.

Did you always play tennis as a kid or did you play other sports as well?

I started tennis when I was seven. . I took swimming lessons and did gymnastics for, like, six months or something. But my whole family plays tennis – six out of the seven kids play tennis. So I just grew up playing tennis, basically.

If you could be good at any other sport, what would it be?

Gymnastics. I love gymnastics. I just want to be flexible and do flips. [Laughs.] I feel like that would just embody everything I’ve ever wanted to do with my life. . You get bored, you just start flipping – it’s entertaining, too.

Do your teammates have any nicknames for each other?

Not with the team members, but the [Head Coach Gordie Ernst] calls me “Brownie.” I used to get that in high school, too. Oh, and he says “California Girls” [too]. . Jacquie Harrison, she’s from Southern California also, and she came in as a freshman, too; so if we’re doing something at the same time together, [he’ll say] `Oh, those California Girls.’

Who’s the team joker?

That would be Gordie. He’s the clown on the team.

Tell us a little bit more about Coach Ernst. What’s he like?

Gordie is a big little kid. That’s all I can think of. He’s always joking, always laughing. I don’t think he’s ever been mad.

Has something embarrassing ever happened to you on the court?

Always! Sometimes I can’t wear my contacts to practice, or my glasses. Then I’ll go to swing for a ball – I swing and there’s no ball. It goes past and I didn’t see it. . Those are the worst ones, because you’re just looking like, `Where did I hit the ball?’ but I never hit it.

Do you have any superstitions before a game?

No, I don’t really do anything. I’m just laid-back and in my own world before matches. If you ask me what time I play, who I play, where I play, I will not know the answer until the night before. Don’t ask me.

Who’s your favorite athlete and why?

aybe Tiger Woods. He’s amazing. I don’t understand how he’s still going at it, and it’s not getting any worse – he just keeps getting better. . There are no glitches in his performance.

What’s your favorite thing to do around M Street when you’re not in practice?

Shop. Go to Urban Outfitters and other good stores – anything I can afford, because I am a broke college student. . After I get a week’s worth of good studying, I have to treat myself.

Booey’s or Wisey’s?

Wisey’s. When I’m even up this early, I get the breakfast croissant – it’s really good.

– Photo and interview by Hijab Shah

“