Player from down under making her way to the top
Grace Thiry, Victoria, Australia, freshman, is getting adjusted to American life
Although language is not a barrier, classes and the weather have proven to be difficult adjustments for Grace Thiry.
Wednesday, March 26th, 2008
For most high school seniors, picking a college includes a lot of trips, visits and meetings. For freshman Grace Thiry, phone calls, letters and videos were her tools for choosing a school.
“For me, I didn’t come for a visit,” Thiry said. “I just liked the sound of the program and the coaches there.”
Thiry is from Victoria, Australia, where she attended Mount St. Joseph’s High School before venturing across the Pacific Ocean to Kansas. For Thiry, it made more sense to be able to attend a school while being able to play the sport she loves. She found this love as a member of KU’s women’s golf team.
“There’s no opportunity (in Australia) for golf and school together, you either go to school, or play golf,” Thiry said.
Finishing 7th, 20th and 24th in three tournaments this year proved Thiry as the second most consistent Jayhawk, behind sophomore Emily Powers.
“She’s a great girl,” Coach Erin O’Neal said. “It was a big risk for her, to come without seeing campus in person, but I knew she was a good player.”
Without Thiry being able to see campus in person, O’Neal said she recruited Thiry by using videos of campus and of Thiry herself to examine her swing.
O’Neal said she understood the switch from high school to college was a great one, with even more pressure on Thiry because she is from another country.
“Plenty of times kids are good in high school then come to college and just don’t have it,” O’Neal said. “But she’s been able to jump right in and contribute.”
Thiry said she also understood that adapting to a new country and culture was difficult but said that she took it one step at a time.
“A lot of people are so into football over here,” Thiry said. “But it’s not too different from home. Kansas is a good second home.”
Being able to speak the same language here is also a huge help for Thiry, which cannot be said for her two other international teammates, freshman Meghna Bal, from New Delhi, and sophomore Camilla Svensson, from Gothenburg, Sweden. But the international trio still rely on each other throughout the season.
“It definitely helps to have international students other than me here, were all in the same boat,” Thiry said.
O’Neal said she also saw the bond.
“They can relate to each other,” O’Neal said. “They lean on each other for support.”
Not only has Thiry had to adjust to the new culture, but also the sporadic Kansas weather.
“She’s used to 100 degree temperatures, and now it can be 5 (degrees) here sometimes,” O’Neal said.
As for golf, Thiry’s father got her started into the game.
“I started when I was around 10,” Thiry said. “At first, I went to junior clinics, then I played with my dad and sister.”
This is also the first time Thiry has been apart of an actual golf team.
“Growing up, it was just individual, but now in college it’s a team, so it’s a different experience to get used to,” Thiry said.
The adjustment of going to school and classes is going smoothly as well. She is getting more adjusted to her teammates and now she has people in Kansas she can rely on.
“It makes it so much easier once you’re acquainted with teammates,” Thiry said. “So many familiar faces there to help for you.” Whether it’s putting birdies in the hole, or just getting to class, this Jayhawk from down under seems to be standing up well.
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
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