Golfer Gino Parrodi is not the same person he was when he arrived on Eastern's campus one year ago.
The sophomore from Queretaro, Mexico, was one of the most consistent players on the golf course last season which stemmed from his childhood experiences with golf club in hand.
“I am definitely a different person then I was when I got here,” Parrodi said. “It was pretty tough in the beginning with golf and schoolwork, but I have learned to manage my time and handle everything. I have become very good at multitasking.”
It was a good thing he became adept in multitasking, because with his major, he may see a lot of that in the future.
Parrodi is a business management major at Eastern. He said he has been around the major his whole life because his father is a business owner in Mexico.
“My father's business, Refriquer, is something I've been involved with for awhile. It's kind of funny how my dad started (the business). Throughout my childhood, he was always gone, traveling across the country for work. About 10 years ago, as (my dad) tells the story, I told him that he needed to be home more, that his family missed him. So, he started Refriquer. The company is an arm of Thermal King and sells the mechanics that are used to climate-control semi truck loads. He focuses on the region around Mexico City and is home a lot more.
It's also allowed me to work with him on everything from maintenance all the way to accounting. Having that experience gives me a different perspective during my classes.”
Although far from home, his family is still a major part of his life. He said he talks to them about once a week, but has also formed an adopted family with his team here on campus.
Of the ten players on Eastern's golf team, four of them are originally from outside of the United States.
"We all understand what each other are going through, and we help each other through it," Parrodi said. “Our team has become very close and it is definitely affecting the way that we are performing on the course. It's exciting – we have only one senior and a lot of momentum that will make us a better team in the years to come. With the OVC Conference Championships in two weeks, we really are excited about what we can accomplish.”
One of the players on the team is junior Francisco Cherizola, also from Mexico. At just 12 years old, he and Parrodi met on a golf course. A year older than Parrodi, Cherizola was already a Panther when he began to look for college programs. A few months of encouragement and recruiting from Coach Mike Moncel later, Parrodi was officially starting his freshman year in college as a member of the EIU Golf team, reunited with his childhood golfing buddy.
The ability to play NCAA golf has been invaluable. “In Mexico, there are only 200 golf courses, compared to 2,000 in the States. And they're all private, so it makes it difficult for many to even be exposed to the sport. It elevates my game so much to be able to play against the best in the tournaments we play in. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to go pro after graduating!”
Playing for EIU has exposed him to friendly people, classes and a college atmosphere that he enjoys compared to the big city where he grew up.
It's that open-minded attitude that has made Parrodi this month's Result of the LAIR Fund EIU student-athlete. “The changes, challenges and exposure to the different cultures are good: it's not that one is better than the other, I have just come to enjoy different ways of life.”
