WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Charger Rundown: Bella and Lucia Spinazze

Episode Date: March 7, 2024

Hana Connelly interviews Bella Spinazze, Hillsdale woman’s tennis player and her twin Lucia Spinazze, manager of the woman’s basketball team.

Hello and welcome to Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. This is the Charger Rundown. I'm Hannah Connolly with all things Charger Athletics. I'm here with Bella Spinazi athlete on the women's tennis team and Lucia Spinazi, manager for the women's basketball team here at Hillsdale College. Thank you guys so much for joining me. Thank you so much for having us, Hannah. I'm really excited to be here.

So we'll start with both of you, kind of talk about this back and forth. You both play tennis in high school and you made it pretty far into the state tournament. what was that like playing together as twins? Did it help you? Did it make it a little bit difficult, always to get along? How did that look? Yeah, so Lachia actually did not play our freshman year of high school. And then our whole team and the coach and everyone kind of convinced her to play our sophomore year.

And so our sophomore year, we teamed up for the state tournament to play doubles together. And we actually ended up getting third place, which was a school record at the time. And it was so fun. I think playing with your twin sister, you kind of, there's definitely that competitive fire on the court. And I think we matched together really well, just our different styles of play. Lucia was really good at setting me up at the net and also being super consistent at the baseline and being a beast at the net herself. So it was super, super fun and such a great experience to kind of pull us closer together as sisters. Yeah, I think our different plane styles and our different

personalities really mesh well together on the court. Obviously, sometimes being sisters, we got at it a little bit more than with our other teammates. But overall, I think that helped us and we helped push each other. And that's how we were able to be so successful. It was actually really fun too because our, so our family has had a really long history of tennis players at our high school. Luchi and I were actually the third doubles team to come out of our family. So it was me and Lichia. And then a few years, before us it was our older sister and our cousin and then a few years before them it was my other two cousins that all played doubles together so it felt like a family tradition for us which made it

even more special guys are like a legacy yes yes exactly lucia you transferred to hills there this year after a year at the university of Cincinnati what prompted that decision i originally planning on and really hoping to go to a big school which is how i ended up at university of Cincinnati just to stay in state since um we're from ohio and I didn't even apply to Hillsdale at first, but I've had so many family members go here. They've all loved it. And being at a bigger school and hearing everything, Bella was going through all the amazing people and the amazing classes and how she would have 10 people in a class compared to me where I would have like 500 in a huge lecture hall,

like was such a big thing. And then I came and visited twice last spring semester the first time I was not even planning on transferring, like not a thought in my mind. And then I just met so many awesome people and saw so many awesome aspects of Hillsdale that I started to think about it. And then like the very last week I could fill out an application to transfer. I did. And ended up here. So that worked out really well for me, which I'm very lucky and grateful for. And I'm assuming you guys are pretty close. So going to the same school, I know you guys are in the same sorority. How is that like? Has it been really awesome? It's been great. I think Uchi and I, we've done pretty much everything together. We shared a room for 18 years now. So it was definitely super weird

being separated the first year. And I definitely really, really missed her and really felt like, I don't know, like my college experience wasn't complete without her. So now her coming to Hillsdale, it was just so exciting for her to meet everyone and to just like make herself just like known. And she is great. And everyone loves her so much at Hillsdale, which I'm really, really happy that she's super happy with her decision to come here. But I think it's been really fun when she did get a bid to Kappa because we just now get to do everything together again, which has been awesome.

It's such a blessing for me. Yeah, we've always been really close, but at the same time, very different, which is good, and we're able to, like, have our own lives and our own things about each of us, but then we can come together and share it with each other too. So it's a really good balance that I feel like over the past 18 years, 19 years we figured out pretty well, which has been good. So Bella, playing tennis, it's a pretty individual sport.

So how do you and your team make sure that you're prioritizing that chemistry and spending time, whether that's during practice or outside of practice, how are you prioritizing that team aspect? Yeah, so you're 100% right. Tennis is definitely a very individual sport when you're on the court, which is definitely, I think, a really tough aspect of tennis because it's a mental battle from the, the moment you step on the court from the moment you're done. But I think the really beautiful thing about college tennis is you play for your team because you have to win as a team. So you have to get

four points in a match in order to win the match. And so you essentially are just playing for your team. And I think the Hillsville College team does a really, really good job at that and really, really prioritizing that aspect. Because in season, we're spending three hours a day together and we are all really close off the court as well. So we've developed this really tight, close-knit team, especially since we only have eight of us this year. And so we know that when we step out on the court, like as individual as it might feel, we are playing with eight other girls with us at all times, which I think definitely makes the whole experience 10 times better because it is such a mental sport. You know that you have your teammates to lean on at all times, which is really

special. And Lucia, talk to me a little bit about what it looks like academically to transfer into Hillsdale after taking classes at another college. I know they're pretty strict with the whole core curriculum. So how did that look like transferring your credits? They are very strict here, which understandable, my classes at CENC were a lot different compared to my classes here. So it makes sense. But unfortunately, they did not take all of them. And the ones they did mostly were just electives. So I'll just have a busy course load the next three years, but I'm still planning on completing college in four years. And it is still doable, which is nice too. That's awesome.

So for both of you guys, what does your weekly practice slash game schedule look like for each of you? Yes. So right now in season, we typically have two matches a weekend, either Saturday, Sunday, or for Friday, Saturday. This season, they've actually been mostly Saturday, Sunday. So we'll practice. We have two hour practices every Monday through Friday during the week. We'll get one day off in the week. And then do an hour of either lifter conditioning four days a week. So it's definitely really strenuous, but kind of like I was saying earlier, the team makes it so worth it. And we know that we're ultimately working towards the goal of winning, which makes all the hard work we put into it

worth it. For me personally, I will just go to their practices every day, go to all their games, do some extra help for the coaches, nothing crazy, but just cheer them on and help out wherever I can. I'm thankful that they allowed me to help out with their team and grow closer to the girls and coaches. They're all great girls and role models for me. So I'm very happy and blessed again to get to work for them. So Bella, what is one thing that you would say to a recruit who was considering Hillsdale about what makes this school unique? So I think Hillsdale is really unique in the way that obviously everyone preaches about our academics, our conservative values, but I think one of the things that was biggest for me in choosing Hillsdale and what I would tell her crew is choose the school that

is going to push you in all aspects of your life, but most importantly in your faith life and in growing your personal relationships. And I think the tennis team has been been the biggest area where I've been pushed in growing my personal relationships. And in my faith life, because when things have gotten hard, my team has been there for me in every single moment that it's been really difficult. We pray together before every single game and just always are very conscious of like, how can I help you? How can I pray for you?

Which I think has been a really cool experience. So I would tell a recruit when considering Hillsdale is going to push you in those aspects, no matter if you're involved in any other sport, any club, any major, like, whatever you choose to do, like you will be pushed in growing your personal relationships because I think your character really shows when you're pushed very, very hardly, which you will be at Hillsdale. It's a really rigorous school academically and especially when you're on a sports team. Like, it gets to be a lot. So I would tell them just choose the school where you see yourself growing the most.

And I think it's hard not to choose Hillsdale when you want. to do that. So yeah. And how has your faith impacted who you are as an athlete and also just a student at Hillsdale in general? You touched a little bit on it, but kind of elaborate on that. So I actually, one of the biggest reasons that I chose Hillsdale, we've had a long family history of people coming to Hillsdale, but I think going through that like process, I was like, I want to choose it for myself. I don't want to come here just because of my family. And so when I went on a visit, I just kind of like I've always wanted a place where I knew people would push me to grow deeper in my faith just because I felt like my high school experience was great but I was really really longing for that. And so I just like the moment I stepped on Hillsville's campus, I found that. And I was like, this is exactly where I want to be. So I think my faith aspect in tennis has definitely been a roller coaster. I think being a student athlete, you're really pushed and stressed a lot. And I think being a student athlete, you're really pushed and stressed a lot. And being able to like find the quiet time and the peaceful time in God every single day has really grounded me and brought this sense of like gratitude of, okay, I get to play tennis.

I get to go to Hillsoe College. A lot of people would like really love to be in my shoes. And the only reason I'm here is because Jesus put me here and because this was like God's plan for my life. So I think when things get really hard on the court or I'm really feeling like, is this what, is this what I want to be doing? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? It's like, God put you here for a reason. And just having that constant reminder, I think it's been really, really formative in my faith here at Hillsdale.

And you guys talked a lot about how you have pretty busy schedules. How do you balance the athletic life with such an academically regress program that Hillsdale provides? definitely a lot of time in the library um i love to study down in the deep basement of hell in the library so that's kind of what i do but i think it's really important to have really good time management um i am one person who likes to get to bed fairly early um just because i do need my sleep so i really prioritize going from practice and just like knowing that like my time at practice is my time to decompress and like get away from school and then when that's over it's time it's time time to lock in again and really focus on my schoolwork. So I think it's important just to take time

throughout the day if you have it to do extra homework or studying and then also just prioritize that time at night to just go to the library, get your work done, and be efficient. And Lucia, talk a little bit about your specific role as the manager. So what are things that you do specifically for coaches? I mean, I know you attend practice or for the teammates. Like, what is your job? What are the specific things that you do? any random thing that comes up pretty much which there's a lot of that throughout it but everyday typical i will just i'll go to their practices i'll help set everything up they usually um lift and have film before practice so i'll have everything ready for them i just assist in practice wherever it's needed

really don't do much cheer them on and then like game days i will like help with all their jerseys and then this past week i had the opportunity to travel with them which was really awesome. We were gone on Wednesday through Saturday for two games. And that was just awesome to be on the road with them and help do more behind-the-scenes stuff and see everything that just goes into every single game, Homer away, and how much work they put in, which was just awesome to see. And I was really just grateful to be there and help in any way I could. So for both of you, what are your majors and potential plans after college? So I am not decided yet, but I'm thinking either economics or sports management.

I would love to work in sports after college. That's why another reason I got involved with the basketball team in the first place, just something I've been around my entire life, something uncomfortable in, and something I could see myself loving and wanting to be the very best at. So I have just been looking at a couple of internships for the summer, and talking to some older professionals I know who are currently working in sports and what their roles are. Just trying to figure all of that out still. So I'm a history major and then classical education minor.

My hope after college would be to teach history at the high school level, but I think the grades and the subjects could potentially move around. I've always just kind of wanted to be a teacher. I've just, I had so many great teachers in my life and I think that that role is so important in forming a person and I think that the world needs a lot of really good teachers. And I think, yeah, again, like I said, that mentorship is really important in someone's life. And if I would be able to change one person's life in my career, I think that would be something that would be amazing.

Yeah, I would also, sorry, I didn't listen, but with the mentorship, I would love to coach. I think also at the high school level, but I, for the first couple years of my high school career, had just an amazing high school basketball coach. She was the best coach, best role model, best, like, person I could have had in my life at that time. And the way she impacted me and the other players was amazing. And Bella, what has been one struggle, mental or physical, that you have faced as an athlete, whether at tennis, outside of tennis, and how did you overcome that? So one struggle that I've had to overcome in college has just kind of been showing up to practice every day and making sure that I'm giving my 100% every single day. And I think we as a team, we're a group of girls and we all kind of have mental ups and downs a lot.

And I think for me last semester, I was going through kind of a rough time. Our dad was diagnosed with cancer this past spring. so in May of last year. And we were just kind of awaiting on some results, and it was a hard time. So I think it was kind of a struggle for me to show up to practice every day and continue to give them 100%. But I kind of was held accountable by a few of my teammates and were like, practices your time to come and just forget about everything else and focus on tennis.

And so I think through that I was just able to remind myself, like, I'm here, I get to be here, I'm grateful to be here, I give 100 people. percent every single day. And I think it kind of gave a whole new perspective of the sport through that struggle because that sport was, my tennis was continually there every single day when I had so many different aspects of my life floating up and down and didn't know what was going to happen. Getting just step on the court for two hours was like my escape. And I think that was something that I really, really needed. And so in that struggle, I kind of overcame it and developed a new love for the sport and I think I've really, this semester, I've seen my game improve. I've seen a lot of things

improve because I have that mindset that was given to me through that struggle. So it's been actually a really beautiful process. So for both of you guys, Lucia, this will give you a chance to shout out one specific girl, YouTube Bella, but who is someone on the team that you would say just exhibits a fantastic character of leadership and motivates your team the most? And why would you say that about them. I think the answer to this question is like this person came to my head right away. Melanie Sanpardo is just like is our team captain. She embodies what it means to be just a true leader and just a true athlete. Like she is a beast in the gym on the court. Like she is just the most ripped amazing person. Like she's awesome. But I think the thing that I admire the most about Mel is the way that

she's not afraid to call you out when you're not doing your best, but in a way that's like calling you higher and like calling you to be better. And I think in a team of eight girls, it can sometimes be really hard to do this because girls are sensitive. You're worried about stepping on people's toes. And you just like, it can be difficult. But Mel is always so good at doing it in such a kind way. And just like she is one of the best, if not the best player on our team. And so I think she has so much wisdom to give everyone. And she's so good at giving you that wisdom and just like making you feel like you are worthy to be there and like worthy every time you step on the court to just play your best

game. And she really brings that out of people. I think the way she cheers people on the way she just like is one of the best teammates I've ever had just makes everyone on the team 10 times better because she's our leader. And she's also just so easy to go to if you just need to talk about something tennis-wise or even not tennis-wise. But she's definitely the lead of our team and just an amazing personality to be leading our team. For the girls' basketball team, I'm looking. I get to see them at practice on the court in the locker room in all different aspects.

And their fifth-year senior Sid Mills is a captain and huge leader. And you can just tell, like, she is that leader. is that person that the rest of the team looks to and looks up to. When they need advice, they ask her. If it's quiet at practice, she's louding. She's given everybody hyped up. Even throughout her fifth years, she's had some injuries, which have been a struggle for her.

And I know I've been really tough on her. And yet still, when she couldn't practice, she's on the sideline. She's just as loud as she would be if she were practicing. She also holds her teammates accountable and is not afraid to not call them out, but like say when it's slacking in practice or something is going off and that makes the team better as a whole and then you see like in their games in the locker room before after at half time like she is like discussing she's respectful to her all for teammates but discussing like what they're

doing while what they can do better helping guide her team through it all and also Kendall McCormick who's a junior she just gives 100% the whole time she's vocal too but the way she really is like through her actions and how her defense is just amazing. She hustles every single play. She will be getting every loose ball. Like that also shows leadership just through how she plays because she does that at every practice and in every game. So like those two, they have a lot of good leaders on that team,

but those two like really stand out to me through everything. And last question. Do you guys have like a funny twin story that you could share with us? yes so lucia and i we obviously run the same high school tennis team for three years and every single year before the season we would have to play each other in singles in a singles match to see where we would play in the lineup um lydia beat me every single time and it was just it's so funny because she is so competitive and we always like she always brought out that competitive spirit when we would play each other.

And I just think it's really funny when we tell people like, oh, yeah, Lachia would beat me all the time in high school. And I'm the one that ended up playing tennis in college, so it's just kind of funny. Yeah, I'm definitely extremely competitive. Like, I don't think I've, and I'm not saying this to go up, Bella, because we're really close skill-wise. But I don't think since we were like five years old,

I've ever lost to her in a sporting event of any sport, just because I will not like mentally and physically allow that to happen. Yeah. But again, when we got to play together in high school, I think that's helped us because we both pushed each other. And I could be the super competitive one motivating us and she could be the one to like ground us or me and make sure that like, you know, I don't get too far with my competitiveness. So it worked out.

Well, thank you guys so much for joining us today. Thanks for having us, Hannah. Thank you so much for having us. And thank you for listening to The Charger Rundown on Radio Free Hillsdale, 101.1.7 FM.