Jonas Ward
Cydney Bond, a nursing student at SUNY Plattsburgh and player on the women’s tennis team, will be a next generation healthcare worker when she graduates.
“I chose to be a nursing major because I have this compassionate drive to help people in any way that I can,” Bond said. “Nurses, no matter where they work, are an integral part of the healthcare system and the lives of patients. I took my interest in medicine and paired it with my humanitarian needs and decided on nursing.”
In addition to her nursing studies, Bond proves to be a force on the tennis court. She has learned to balance her techniques for certain circumstances during a match. She has trained herself to be more prepared for whatever she may face.
“I would call myself a versatile player,” Bond said. “I really have evolved from playing traditional tennis at the baseline to venturing into playing doubles, changing up my shots and understanding the game. I used to just get the ball back, now I play with a purpose and really challenge myself to become better.”
Bond’s teammates bring out the best in her when it comes to playing. She greatly respects her team and they also look up to each other on and off the court.
“One of my strongest qualities is leadership by default, thus I think I am someone my teammates turn to,” Bond said. “Moreover, I also emit confidence in tennis that I feel my teammates appreciate. Though, I look up to everyone on my team. Everyone brings something unique to the table that is really admirable. I strive to be the best I can and my teammates bring that out in me.”
The pandemic has affected everybody differently this semester. Bond had to overcome the loss of her fall tennis season. The pandemic led Bond and her team to creativity when it comes to tennis.
“The pandemic obviously took away our fall season, but we are extremely fortunate to be playing right now,” Bond said. “The pandemic has taught everyone how to think outside the box. Thankfully in tennis, we are socially distancing while being able to do something we love.”
When Bond is not on a tennis court or attending to her studies, she loves to pass the time with different hobbies. All of them keep her healthy mentally and physically. In her free time, she loves to exercise, spend time with loved ones, and clean.
“Exercise feeds my soul from lifting to tennis, to even walks. On top of that, I really strive to eat clean and take care of myself as best as I can. The pandemic really showed us to cherish time with those we love and that gives me happiness.”
The semester was exceedingly challenging for Bond as a nursing student. She tried her best to stay on top of her responsibilities.
“As a nursing student, each semester gets harder and harder,” Bond said. “This semester, I was challenged with the workload and difficulties of my classes. The learning curve is strong, but it is always worth it in the end.”
Chuck Ko, the women’s tennis coach, believes Bond has advanced quickly on SUNY Plattsburgh’s women’s tennis team after playing in high school for many years.
“Even though she is only a sophomore she is already one of the role models on our team,” Ko said. “Cydney brings a fantastic energy to the team that is contagious to the other players. Whether it be the energizing music on her Bluetooth speaker she brings to practice or the pump up words to her teammates you can tell that she strives for our season to be enjoyable for all.”
Ko believes Bond will be successful in her career. He explains she is a valuable player to the team and she will continue to advance her skills in the future.
Ko described how Cydney is a dedicated nursing student who takes her academics very seriously and also has a strong passion for tennis in which it is obvious that the team is an important part of her college experience. Cydney is a crucial athlete of the SUNY Plattsburgh Women’s Tennis team in which Ko knows she will continue to add onto her accomplishments as a student athlete during the remainder of this season and her future seasons to come.
“I absolutely look up to Cydney as a role model,” Hurwitz said. “She is balancing a rigorous Nursing school course load, tennis, and so much more, all the while making it look easy. And despite all the responsibilities she has, and the stress she must feel from it all, she is still always kind and caring to everyone. I am lucky to have her as a role model.”
