Australian Alex Huynh adapts to mountain life.
The views of the Flatirons from campus are famous and hard to beat. For Alex Huynh (Psych鈥�17), they were a total surprise.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know there were mountains here,鈥� the junior center back for the CU women鈥檚 soccer team says. 鈥淚鈥檓 not even (joking) you.聽I didn鈥檛 know there were mountains here.鈥�
When Huynh became the first Australian to join the Buffs soccer team, in 2013, she鈥檇 been to the U.S. once, to California, and CU coach Danny Sanchez had originally recruited her to play at the University of Wyoming while he was coach there.
鈥淲hen I got the job at Colorado, I told her 鈥楥ome to Colorado鈥�,鈥� says Sanchez, who landed the CU job in 2012. 鈥溾�楯ust trust me, you鈥檒l love it,鈥� I said.鈥�
And Huynh has indeed found a lot to love about Boulder: The sunshine, the friendly people, 鈥渢he super chill vibe.鈥�
But first there was a rude awakening: Three days after landing in Colorado, the sea-level soccer star staggered through her first Buffs fitness test and promptly passed out. Boulder is situated 5,368 feet higher than Sydney.
鈥淭hat was a nice welcome,鈥� says Huynh, who鈥檚 from Sadleir, New South Wales, a Sydney suburb.
Huynh, 21, acclimated, of course, and has made a noticable impact on the team with a positive vibe 鈥渢hat鈥檚 kind of infectious,鈥� says Sanchez. He had no doubt she鈥檇 persevere and succeed here, having seen her play as a high school student in Australia.
鈥淪he got her nose smashed in and was bleeding everywhere,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淪he just stuck a tissue in there and went right back in. We could tell she had toughness.鈥�
That鈥檚 a useful trait in sport and life. Huynh left her entire family behind in Australia, including twin sister Samantha.
鈥淪ometimes we underestimate how difficult it is,鈥� Sanchez says of foreign athletes playing college sports in the U.S.
There are 2,646 international students at CU, including 33 Australians four of whom are student athletes.
Huynh admits to a bit of culture shock.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really know anything about the college experience except what you watch in the movies, you know what I mean?鈥� she says. 鈥淚 literally had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just knew I wanted to play soccer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like that in Australia at all. When you go to uni, people don鈥檛 live on campus, there鈥檚 no frats and stuff, so that was definitely an eye-opener.鈥�
As it happens, half the Australians playing varsity sports at CU are soccer players: Senior Kahlia Hogg, Huynh鈥檚 former teammate on the Australian junior national squad, transferred from Florida State in 2014.
Even with Hogg鈥檚 familiar presence, Huynh says living far from home is actually harder now than when she first came to CU. As a freshman, everything was exciting and new. In the last two years, she鈥檚 only been home once. A scheduled trip last summer was canceled because the Buffs were in Spain for matches.
Sister Samantha visited over the summer, though, and the twins made the most of the time by traveling to Hawaii and then to Canada for the Women鈥檚 World Cup. Alex and Samantha sat front row for the U.S. vs. Australia game in Winnipeg. (The Americans won 3-1, en route to the title.)
鈥淣inety-eight percent of the fans were for America,鈥� Huynh recalls. 鈥淚t was chockers.鈥�
Chockers, by the way, means full.
Huynh鈥檚 schedule is chockers, too. Between playing for the Buffs, working on a degree in psychology and trying to squeeze in Skype sessions each 鈥渇ortnight鈥� (two weeks) with her sister, who is 17 hours ahead, Huynh says she doesn鈥檛 have much free time during soccer season.
Now that it鈥檚 over, she鈥檒l likely dedicate some time to improving her snowboarding technique.
鈥淚鈥檓 want to smash it out this winter for sure,鈥� Huynh says. 鈥淚鈥檓 still shredding with 5-year-olds and they鈥檙e killing me.鈥�
Huynh also wants to hike a 14er before she leaves Colorado, even though she admits that she hates hiking.
鈥淚f I do go hiking, it鈥檚 for the picture at the end.鈥�