AMATEUR MAHOUT INJURY LEADS WAY TO THAILAND CALABASAS' SCHNITMAN FINDS A NEW PASTIME.Byline: ERIK BOAL Special to the Daily News Jillian Schnitman never thought about life after tennis until tennis wasn't part of her life. One of the area's most successful players, the 17-year-old Schnitman was sidelined for the majority of the offseason with a right shoulder injury, forcing the Calabasas High senior to put down her racket and pick up a new pastime -- working with animals. That hobby A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. Origin of term A hobby-horse was a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like the real hobby. From this came the expression "to ride one's hobby-horse", meaning "to follow a favourite pastime", and in turn, has since become her passion. Although Schnitman still has aspirations aspirations npl → aspiraciones fpl (= ambition); ambición f aspirations npl (= hopes, ambition) → aspirations fpl of playing college tennis, she desires to devote her future to animal wellness and preservation. ``I've always been a tennis player. That's who I am,'' said Schnitman, who has helped Calabasas' girls' tennis team (18-0) capture a fifth consecutive Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. title. ``I enjoy it and I've been blessed with a talent to play it, but besides tennis I never really knew what I wanted to do. So I started volunteering at an animal shelter "Dog Pound" redirects here. For the rap group, see Tha Dogg Pound. An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats. . I started in March and I immediately fell in love with it.'' When she's not carrying out her duties as Calabasas' captain, Schnitman spends her free time at the aforementioned a·fore·men·tioned adj. Mentioned previously. n. The one or ones mentioned previously. aforementioned Adjective mentioned before Adj. 1. shelter in Agoura. But her most gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. work came during this summer, when she took a 10-day trip to Thailand to participate in an elephant conservation program. ``It was a life-changing experience for me,'' Schnitman said. ``It brought out a lot of independence in me. It was really uplifting.'' After learning of a friend's trip to Fiji lastyear, Schnitman contacted Rustic Pathways, an Ohio-based organization that runs high school community service programs all over the world. The opportunity to visit Thailand was too good to pass up. ``Her focus started shifting,'' said Tami Schnitman, Jillian's mother. ``She couldn't play tennis because she was injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. and she wanted to do something with animals, and everything just started falling into place.'' While many of her peers were traveling the country competing in USTA USTA United States Tennis Association USTA United States Telecom Association USTA United States Trotting Association USTA United States Telephone Association USTA United States Twirling Association USTA United States Trademark Association junior tournaments, Schnitman was roaming The ability to use a communications device such as a cellphone or PDA and be able to move from one cell or access point to another without losing the connection. the jungles in a village north of Lampang. Under the guidance of her mahout -- elephant trainer -- Schnitman was given the responsibility of caring for Sedor Wassana, a 53-year-old Asian elephant Asian elephant Elaphus maximus. without tusks. ``In Thailand, they treat elephants like they treat dogs over here,'' said Schnitman, who was honored as an amateur mahout from the Mahout and Thai Elephant Development College, Lampang Forest Industry Organization. ``They're so smart. You pull on their ear and step on their foot and they lift you up.'' Schnitman's day-to-day responsibilities included giving the elephant its cleaning, feeding the animals and training them to understand human commands while riding them. She also visited an elephant hospital and watched the animals put on shows for tourists, in addition to witnessing them play the xylophone xylophone (zī`ləfōn) [Gr.,=wood sound], musical instrument having graduated wooden slabs that are struck by the player with small, hard mallets. The slabs are usually arranged like a keyboard, and the range varies from two to four octaves. and paint pictures with their trunks. ``Actually seeing it made me stop and think `Did I really just see this?' '' said Schnitman, who even took part in a workshop that allowed her to turn elephant feces feces or excrement or stools Solid bodily waste discharged from the colon through the anus during defecation. Normal feces are 75% water. The rest is about 30% dead bacteria, 30% indigestible food matter, 10–20% cholesterol and other fats, into paper. ``I kept a journal so I could take in every little thing we were doing. It's something I'll never be able to do again. It was so incredible.'' Although tennis was the last thing on her mind during her trip to Thailand, Schnitman said she believed her experience helped make her a better captain and teammate. ``It was a real changing point for her,'' Tami Schnitman said. ``There's still the Jilli that I have to push to work on college applications, but I see a different part of her. She's learned to balance more.'' Schnitman has successfully balanced playing singles and doubles throughout her career at Calabasas, contributing to teams that have posted a combined 76-4 record in addition to advancing to the finals of the Marmonte tournament every year, winning a doubles title her freshman season with Cory Ceizler. ``She's an excellent role model for the freshmen and what it means to be a leader and to be part of a team,'' said Calabasas coach Kim Kinberg, who led the Coyotes to the Southern Section Div. I title in 2004 with Schnitman and Brittney Harper winning a crucial doubles set in the team's victory over Peninsula of Rolling Hills Rolling hills are like a mountain chain, only a "hill chain" of hills that roll on and on continually. You will often find them in between plains and mountains, near major rivers, or randomly anywhere. The only places without rolling hills are deserts and flood plains. Estates. ``She's done a lot here. She's been under the radar This article is about the magazine. For other uses, see Under the Radar (disambiguation). Under the Radar is an American magazine that bills itself as "The solution to music pollution." It features interviews with accompanying photo-shoots. because of who she's played with, but she's always been successful. If you didn't have her team on the team, you'd feel it.'' For Schnitman, the only thing that could match the exhilaration she experienced in Thailand would be capping her high school career with another Div. I title. ``Going to Thailand made me appreciate so much what I have,'' Schnitman said. ``There are times where I think I have so much drama in my life, yet they're living poor lives over there and they love every minute of it. ``That's why I just wanted this to be a good year. And the best way to finish it would be winning another (Div. I) title.'' erik.boal@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photo Photo: (1) Calabasas tennis player Jillian Schnitman took part in a elephant conservation program this summer in Lampang, Thailand. Courtesy of Jillian Schnitman (2) Jillian Schnitman helped the Coyotes claim the Southern Section Div. I title in 2004, winning a crucial doubles set. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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