Moving up and moving on

Seniors say goodbye to tennis team

Following the conclusion of their 2008 tennis season, four seniors will be hanging up their tennis rackets and focusing on life outside of the sport. While every senior won’t be graduating, each one will be leaving the tennis team at CU in pursuit of other goals.

Of the four seniors, two of them, Veera Nurmi and Gleisy Torres Torres are international students. Nurmi, a native of Lahti, Finland, will be going back to Finland at the end of summer to continue her education. Though she will no longer play tennis competitively, she said there are still lots of opportunities for her to get involved with the sport.

“Tennis is a nice sport because you can always play for fun and play in tournaments,” Nurmi said.

Nurmi said she would not mind coming back to the United States at some later point.

“We’ll see where I end up,” Nurmi said. “I wouldn’t mind coming back because I’ve really enjoyed my four years here.”

While Nurmi will be returning to Finland after summer, Torres Torres will remain in America and work before returning to her home in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Torres Torres has applied for an Optional Practical Training, which serves as a work visa, and it will allow her to work in the United States for a year. She will be graduating with a major in broadcast news and said she will hopefully be working for a news station after college.

Though she plans on remaining in the United States, she said she would like to eventually go back to her home country.

“I would like to go back eventually, if I get a job and good opportunities,” Torres Torres said.

As she completes her four years at CU, Torres Torres said she is looking beyond tennis, but she is still planning on staying involved with the team.

“I think I’m done with the tennis competition and am looking more towards my degree now,” Torres Torres said. “I think I’m going to stay and be a volunteer assistant (for the team).”

Almagno will stay at CU for a fifth year for a concurrent degree program with a masters in accounting. Though she is no longer eligible to play tennis for CU, she said she will still support the team next year.

“I’m going to always support the team, and I’m going to come watch whenever I can,” Almagno said.

After she graduates, Almagno said she will be looking to get internships and possibly a job in Denver.

Quinn, could not be reached for comment.

Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Rachael Fischer at

rachael.fischer@colorado.edu.