Freshman Friday is a Q-and-A feature with new members of the women's ice hockey team. This is the first installment of the year, featuring forward Elana Zingas. 
 
Q: How do you like Cornell? You've been here for a semester, how do you like the school and the area so far?
A: I love it. The first thing [I noticed] when I got here with my parents was the beautiful campus, obviously, but actually walking around every day and every morning, because we do a lot of walking, from North to class and the rink, but it is so beautiful. But beyond that, the team was so welcoming and I'm so grateful. Some of my best friends are the seniors and our whole team is almost like one class, which is so great. Our class clicked from the beginning; we are all best friends and it's been a great experience. Academically was a little challenging but definitely after we all figured out our classes, our schedules, where to go, it wasn't too difficult.
 
Q: So you are in the College of Arts and Sciences, with your major undecided at the moment, what got you there?
A: When I first was deciding to come in, I told the coach I don't know what I want to do at all, which is still kind of true. He told me to apply to Arts and Sciences undecided and I really like the school because it gives you so many different opportunities and courses to take. But now that I have gotten here I've taken classes like [calculus] and [statistics] and I took Micro (economics) and I really liked that class so I think I'm going to try to apply to either major in economics in [the College of] Arts and Sciences or to the Dyson School (of Business).
 
Q: Your parents are both doctors, did that influence your decision in any way?
A: My sister is actually taking the MCAT this week and my brother is in med school. I am not going down the doctor path. I am very interested by it and I love it but I just don't think it is for me. 
 
Q: Did you ever think about going down that path?
A: Yeah, but the nice thing is even though both my siblings are planning the medical path, my parents have never pressured anything on us. They've always been open to any different career path, so I think that I see myself as more of a business person.
 
Q: Looking forward to the next semester, are you going to be taking more business classes or are you just staying the general classes to close your first year?
A: I am going to be taking the requirements to apply to the business school this semester. And I am also interested in so many different things, especially since going to the New York City career day with some of our teammates. There are just so many different pathways and I kind of want to explore before I hone in on a major. I did take a fashion class last semester and I am taking another one this semester because that is something I've always been interested in as well. 
 
Q: Before you came to Cornell, how much time did you spend on campus?
A: I visited here at the beginning of my junior year with my mom for two days and stayed overnight with the girls. Two of the seniors, actually. It was the best experience ever, just seeing the team and the chemistry and how nice the girls were but that was actually my only trip until I moved in.
 
Q: So you spent most of your visit with the team?
A: Yeah I stayed overnight with the girls...I stayed here for two nights, actually. It was a pretty long visit, it was a weekend I spent here. Coach took me on a tour around campus but besides that, and meeting with him, I was with the team, which was a lot different from my other visits and I think that was definitely the deciding factor for me. 
 
Q: So you said you visited your junior year of high school, when did you commit?
A: I committed October of my junior year?
 
Q: Was that before or after your visit?
A: It was right after. Like the week after.
 
Q: So you were pretty much decided?
A: Yeah I wanted to go to Cornell right after that visit. 
 
Q: What stood out about the school?
A: Honestly, the campus was beautiful and that's what my parents kept saying, my mom kept adding the academics. But for me it was the girls and the team chemistry and how it is such a fun, good and successful team they have here with the legacy. Coach is the type of coach that will do anything if you ask, like extra work, he's always understanding, his office door is always open and he just made me really excited to come here and work hard. 
 
Q: What do you think, so far, of NCAA Division I?
A: It's a lot of fun. 
 
Q: I've heard of a couple of players say it's a big change going from club teams to Division I.
A: For sure. I actually had surgery on my shoulder in April (2019), and it was my second shoulder surgery since committing, so I wasn't cleared the first two-three weeks practicing here. So then, when I started doing the battling drills, it hit me. The combination of being off the ice and the higher speed, more skill [of Division I] was an adjustment but I think it's a lot of fun and an exciting adjustment. 
 
Q: How would you describe yourself as a player?
A: I'd say I'm more tenacious. I'm not the biggest player, but I'm kind of, like, shifty.
 
Q: Is there anyone you model your game after?
A: I'm a huge Detroit fan, Red Wings fan, no matter how good or bad they are doing and right now I really like… so, growing up Pavel Datsyuk was definitely the one person I idolized and still do today. And watching our senior class this year, I try to take as much in as possible. 
 
Q: Before Cornell women's ice hockey, how much time did you spend on the ice?
A: A lot of girls would go to boarding schools and be in the same environment, where they are with their team every day and on the ice every day after school. But for Belle Tire you have three practices a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. And I became friends with the rink manager in my town, Grosse Pointe, and I would just drill during open ice by myself on most days. Beside Belle Tire practices, I did spend a lot of time just on my own, working on my skills.
 
Q: That's dedication. Was there anything else you were interested in or was it just all ice hockey all the time?
A: In high school, I did play lacrosse, which was a lot of fun. I didn't take it very seriously. And I spent a lot of time with my sisters, and my family. My two sisters, before coming to college, I don't think we had spent more than two weeks apart, so that was definitely a huge adjustment there. 
 
Q: What would you do with your sisters and your family?
A: My sister is actually a crazy figure skater so she would be on the ice with me at the other end while I would be stickhandling on my end. We just spend a lot of time together, like driving around and I don't know. Like we shared a room together until junior year of high school and we've always been really close.
 
Q: Both of them? (older and younger)
A: Yes, with my older sister...I would go visit her or on Sunday nights my family would go for dinner with Michigan being only an hour away from us.
 
Q: You said you haven't spent more than two weeks apart, how has that adjustment been? Being so far from your family.
A: I was kind of surprised, the only time homesickness really hit me was over Thanksgiving because I have a huge family. I have 16 first cousins and I'm close with them all. We have huge family parties, so not being home for that was definitely hard. But besides that, the team has become my sisters and I've grown close to everyone in our class so that is great. And I still FaceTime my sisters, all the time, and my mom...we talk every night.
 
Q: We've been talking about your family, tell me more about the makeup of your family.
A: I have a younger sister, Emilia, who is a senior and applying to schools this year. And I have an older sister who is a senior at Michigan and currently applying to public health schools for next year. And I have a brother, Cole, who is going to med school at Thomas Jefferson. 
 
Q: And your parents?
A: My mom, Marsha, is a dermatologist and my dad, Christopher, is an orthopedic surgeon.
 
Q: Were you able to play with any of your Cornell teammates before you came to Cornell?
A: Before my visit, I had never heard of any of the girls coming. I did play against Syd [Breza] a couple of times and Shattock [St. Mary's] always beat up pretty bad. But besides that, I didn't know any of the girls, so I was kind of coming in blind, but from orientation we all clicked.
 
Q: That's good, that chemistry is an important quality in a team. How did you get your start in hockey?
A: I started as a figure skater and learn-to-skate. When I was seven or eight years old, I decided I wanted to be a hockey player and be like my brother. I think part of the reason was because my sister was so much better at figure skating even though she was my little sister. I did start hockey on the later end, I was … nine year olds, maybe, when I first joined and I was on a boys team for awhile. 
 
Q: Was there anything else you did as a child?
A: I was super in to arts and crafts as a child, and I guess I still am. And besides that I played soccer, on a travel team. My parents made me try every sport. I would spend my summers sailing because I live close to Lake Saint Clair, so I do that from like 8-4 every day of the summer. Soccer, sailing, tennis … playing outside … my mom and dad made us try every sport, basically, growing up. 
 
Q: You mentioned fashion earlier, when did that interest start?
A: I've always been into fashion and retail. Last year I got a job working for Lululemon, and I worked for them for eight months. That was when the actual serious part of learning retail kind of took off for me. Talking to my boss, I got really into working the early shifts when customers weren't there to set up merchandise and how the store looks.
 
Q: So you are more interested in the business side over the design side?
A: I was just dipping my toes in the management part. I don't know if I want to go into the design and more artistic ability part, but more management side. 
 
Q: How did you general sport history, that your parents put you in, affect who you are now?
A: Definitely growing up and playing hockey shaped me into the person I am now, no doubt. My team back home, Belle Tire, we went through a lot and I played with the same team and girls for almost six years. Just going through adversity day in and day out, coming home from practice; since I got my license at 16 years old, I was driving about an hour to practice and getting home at like midnight or 1:30 every night and then waking up for school. Going through that with a group of people...it's just makes you a lot stronger. 
 
Q: That is certainly dedication….
A: Well I would say everyone on my hockey team has that quality though. That definitely shocked me coming in, no one complains about extra school work or any extra things, everyone just kind of understands. 
 
Q: Speaking of your team, Belle Tire, I see you were the U16 Michigan State and National Champion in 2017. And was it U19 Michigan State Champion in 2018 and 2019?
A: Yes. It's funny, over Christmas, the whole team that won nationals in 2017, we all got together; we are all still close. I talk to them all the time, and a lot of them either quit hockey or just went to school around the Michigan area. The result was definitely not expected. We won states just barely that year and, I don't know, something about that team...we had just been through a lot together and had formed a really close chemistry on the ice. We went into nationals ranked 11th or lower and we came out winning. There are only 16 teams that go so that was really unexpected, and everyone just kept saying it was the biggest upset, which kind of upset us a little bit. But it is definitely a moment I'm not going to forget for a long time. 
 
Q: Lastly, is there anything interesting I should know about you or your teammates, in and outside of hockey?
A: I would say something interesting about me is I'm really involved in the Greek community back home. I go to church almost every week and I'm really close with my priest. A lot of my friends are actually from my church and every year I've gone to this camp in northern Michigan with them. It's a week or two away from your phone, and those are some of the closest relationships I have as well. I actually went to a camp in Greece, not this summer but last summer (2018) four about a month and a half on my own. It was an experience I'm never going to forget; it was so special. Also, this is kind of embarrassing but I do dance for my church in a festival we have each year. I dress up and Greek dance with all my siblings and family members, it's a lot of fun.