Photo by: Sloane Bush/MSU Athletics
Work Is Fun For Ramskogler
March 16, 2022 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Although Gregor Ramskogler hails from another country, the concept of working hard is far from foreign to him.
The Mississippi State tennis player usually leaves his apartment before 9 a.m. each morning knowing he likely won't return until well into the night because there is plenty of work to be done in each phase of his day.
On most days, Ramskogler bikes 2.4 miles from his residence to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre for an individual practice, then spends the rest of the morning in class. After grabbing a quick bite for lunch, it's time for team practice followed by weights and conditioning then biking back home to do homework and study.
And if there are any gaps during Ramskogler's already busy schedule, he occupies that free time working in MSU's Athletic Communications Department researching statistics and various other duties that are assigned to him by the sports information staff.
"I actually enjoy working," Ramskogler said. "On my off day, I could be in bed all day but I just enjoy working. It's fun to me so it feels like free time because I enjoy it. I just love what I do and I think that's my main motivation. If I commit to something, then I do it 100 percent."
Ramskogler is a senior but his days of working hard for the Bulldogs won't end when he graduates in May. This week, the Reichraming, Austria native was admitted into MSU's graduate school and signed a financial aid agreement to return to the tennis team next year as well.
"Gregor is very dedicated to his team and everything that he does here at Mississippi State," said head coach Matt Roberts. "We are excited to announce that he will be joining us for his fifth year. He brings a great work ethic and energy to the program and we look forward to working with him for one more year."
'A FIT RIGHT AWAY'
High school sports are not a thing in Ramskogler's home country so he spent most of his early tennis career playing as an individual.
But each summer, Ramskogler was afforded the opportunity to play club tennis. It was there that he played alongside Tobias Obenaus - who was attending the University of Washington at the time - and introduced him to the possibility of playing college tennis in the United States.
"The club matches over the summer were always my highlight because I like being around others and playing for something other than just me," Ramskogler said. "I really liked the idea of college tennis so I started my recruiting process. I really like the coach here and the team culture. You could see even on the 48 hours I spent with them (on my official visit) that they were really close and were willing to work hard every day. Not every program does that and I really valued that."
Ramskogler made a solid first impression on his official visit to Starkville, one that Roberts still remembers to this day.
"You could tell Gregor was a fit right away once we had him on a recruiting visit," Roberts said. "During our practice, he was in the stands with his shirt off cheering on his future teammates."
As a freshman, Ramskogler helped State secure an SEC Tournament championship. During his sophomore season, he went on a run, winning 13 out of 15 singles matches and claimed the ITA Southern Regional Singles Championship.
Ramskogler went on compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships as a junior along with partner Florian Broska. The duo rose as high as 14th in the country and also helped Mississippi State reach the Round of 16 in the NCAA Championship.
This year has also been successful one for Ramskogler. He and Broska climbed to sixth in the country as a doubles tandem during the fall and has now won five out of his last seven singles matches this spring.
"I've made a lot of progress over this season," Ramskogler said. "Early in the season I was coming out of a two-week quarantine and started late, but I think I've progressed pretty well. At the beginning, you're always a little nervous but I'm definitely more free on the court now and have a clear plan of what I want to do."
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Ramskogler was introduced to the idea of working in the MSU Athletic Communications Department by classmate and golfer Lauren Miller in 2020. He initially agreed to work 100 hours that fall and eagerly signed up for 300 more hours this past fall.
Now, Ramskogler voluntarily comes into the office to work whenever his schedule permits.
"I think Gregor is a huge, huge part of our student team in the athletic communications office with the way he carries himself, his attitude and attention to detail workwise," said Matt Dunaway, who supervises the student workers for MSU Athletic Communications. "Not only does he lead by example, but we've had a ton of new students come into our office this year specifically and Gregor has taken the time to meet every one of them and shown them different ways to do things and is always a great resource for them. He's somebody that is a big part of the culture of why our student team is the way it is today."
Ramskogler not only assists with the men's and women's tennis programs, he also lends a helping hand with nearly every other sport that the Bulldogs participate in. Occasionally, he is the last person left in the Bryan Athletic Administration Building after researching statistics well into the night.
"I love the university and what is going on in the present," Ramskogler said. "But I also like researching the history and what has gone on. There's just a certain feeling about it that makes me interested. I just like digging for facts that are not on the surface or easily visible. I like to dive deeper and find out more."
Ramskogler's love for statistics dates back long before he arrived at MSU. He remembers studying brackets for the tennis tournaments he played in back in Austria at an early age.
"When I was a kid, I was always the one at the tournaments that would basically memorize the whole draw and who was playing who and when they were playing," Ramskogler said. "I was always the guy that knew what was going on, a little stats nerd. I never really knew (sports information) was an actual profession because back home we don't have high school sports and barely any university sports."
Now, Ramskogler is contemplating making a career in coaching or sports information. But that decision doesn't have to be made until later thanks to him returning to college for a fifth season in 2022-23.
Ramskogler does, however, want to pursue a professional tennis career for a few years once his days as a Bulldog are done. He must also complete a mandatory six months of military service required of all Austrian males.
Once all that is done, Ramskogler will enter the work force prepared to meet the next challenge. After all, he has already proven he isn't afraid of hard work.
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The Mississippi State tennis player usually leaves his apartment before 9 a.m. each morning knowing he likely won't return until well into the night because there is plenty of work to be done in each phase of his day.
On most days, Ramskogler bikes 2.4 miles from his residence to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre for an individual practice, then spends the rest of the morning in class. After grabbing a quick bite for lunch, it's time for team practice followed by weights and conditioning then biking back home to do homework and study.
And if there are any gaps during Ramskogler's already busy schedule, he occupies that free time working in MSU's Athletic Communications Department researching statistics and various other duties that are assigned to him by the sports information staff.
"I actually enjoy working," Ramskogler said. "On my off day, I could be in bed all day but I just enjoy working. It's fun to me so it feels like free time because I enjoy it. I just love what I do and I think that's my main motivation. If I commit to something, then I do it 100 percent."
Ramskogler is a senior but his days of working hard for the Bulldogs won't end when he graduates in May. This week, the Reichraming, Austria native was admitted into MSU's graduate school and signed a financial aid agreement to return to the tennis team next year as well.
"Gregor is very dedicated to his team and everything that he does here at Mississippi State," said head coach Matt Roberts. "We are excited to announce that he will be joining us for his fifth year. He brings a great work ethic and energy to the program and we look forward to working with him for one more year."
'A FIT RIGHT AWAY'
High school sports are not a thing in Ramskogler's home country so he spent most of his early tennis career playing as an individual.
But each summer, Ramskogler was afforded the opportunity to play club tennis. It was there that he played alongside Tobias Obenaus - who was attending the University of Washington at the time - and introduced him to the possibility of playing college tennis in the United States.
"The club matches over the summer were always my highlight because I like being around others and playing for something other than just me," Ramskogler said. "I really liked the idea of college tennis so I started my recruiting process. I really like the coach here and the team culture. You could see even on the 48 hours I spent with them (on my official visit) that they were really close and were willing to work hard every day. Not every program does that and I really valued that."
Ramskogler made a solid first impression on his official visit to Starkville, one that Roberts still remembers to this day.
"You could tell Gregor was a fit right away once we had him on a recruiting visit," Roberts said. "During our practice, he was in the stands with his shirt off cheering on his future teammates."
As a freshman, Ramskogler helped State secure an SEC Tournament championship. During his sophomore season, he went on a run, winning 13 out of 15 singles matches and claimed the ITA Southern Regional Singles Championship.
Ramskogler went on compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships as a junior along with partner Florian Broska. The duo rose as high as 14th in the country and also helped Mississippi State reach the Round of 16 in the NCAA Championship.
This year has also been successful one for Ramskogler. He and Broska climbed to sixth in the country as a doubles tandem during the fall and has now won five out of his last seven singles matches this spring.
"I've made a lot of progress over this season," Ramskogler said. "Early in the season I was coming out of a two-week quarantine and started late, but I think I've progressed pretty well. At the beginning, you're always a little nervous but I'm definitely more free on the court now and have a clear plan of what I want to do."
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Ramskogler was introduced to the idea of working in the MSU Athletic Communications Department by classmate and golfer Lauren Miller in 2020. He initially agreed to work 100 hours that fall and eagerly signed up for 300 more hours this past fall.
Now, Ramskogler voluntarily comes into the office to work whenever his schedule permits.
"I think Gregor is a huge, huge part of our student team in the athletic communications office with the way he carries himself, his attitude and attention to detail workwise," said Matt Dunaway, who supervises the student workers for MSU Athletic Communications. "Not only does he lead by example, but we've had a ton of new students come into our office this year specifically and Gregor has taken the time to meet every one of them and shown them different ways to do things and is always a great resource for them. He's somebody that is a big part of the culture of why our student team is the way it is today."
Ramskogler not only assists with the men's and women's tennis programs, he also lends a helping hand with nearly every other sport that the Bulldogs participate in. Occasionally, he is the last person left in the Bryan Athletic Administration Building after researching statistics well into the night.
"I love the university and what is going on in the present," Ramskogler said. "But I also like researching the history and what has gone on. There's just a certain feeling about it that makes me interested. I just like digging for facts that are not on the surface or easily visible. I like to dive deeper and find out more."
Ramskogler's love for statistics dates back long before he arrived at MSU. He remembers studying brackets for the tennis tournaments he played in back in Austria at an early age.
"When I was a kid, I was always the one at the tournaments that would basically memorize the whole draw and who was playing who and when they were playing," Ramskogler said. "I was always the guy that knew what was going on, a little stats nerd. I never really knew (sports information) was an actual profession because back home we don't have high school sports and barely any university sports."
Now, Ramskogler is contemplating making a career in coaching or sports information. But that decision doesn't have to be made until later thanks to him returning to college for a fifth season in 2022-23.
Ramskogler does, however, want to pursue a professional tennis career for a few years once his days as a Bulldog are done. He must also complete a mandatory six months of military service required of all Austrian males.
Once all that is done, Ramskogler will enter the work force prepared to meet the next challenge. After all, he has already proven he isn't afraid of hard work.
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