UAA Conversations About Race and Racism: Horace Choy

March 9, 2021

View in AdobeSpark

Horace Choy is in his 28th season as head coach of the NYU women’s tennis program and 14th at the helm of the Violets’ men’s tennis program. A 1987 graduate of NYU’s School of Business and Public Administration with a bachelor’s degree in management and marketing, he spent two seasons on the tennis team.

The UAA “Conversations About Race and Racism” series seeks to lift the voices of people of color and recognize the challenges faced in both athletics and academics at the collegiate level. By sharing personal stories, we hope to elevate the conversation about race to raise awareness and bring about change.

Early Days

“When I was hired more than 25 years ago, I was one of the very few ethnic minority coaches. Things have gotten a little better, but minorities are still underrepresented,” communicated Choy, who was born in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. when he was just 11 months old. “Being at NYU has made things easier for me. At no time have I felt that my supervisors or players saw me as anything other than a tennis player and a coach.”

When he began his coaching career at NYU, there was one famous Asian professional tennis player: Michael Chang of the U.S., who remains the youngest man to win a Grand Slam event when he captured the 1989 French Open at age 17. Chang stood 5’9”, making him shorter than nearly all of his opponents and his quick, defensive play became his trademark, leading him to being second-ranked in the world in 1996. “I had to work against the perception that all Asians played a defensive style and show that I could coach and teach all styles of play,” he pointed out.

Bringing Diversity to NYU

“NYU has attracted students who are looking for diversity, including many of them being international students. The reality is that even with the international representation, African Americans and LatinX students are underrepresented,” Choy stated. “It has been, and continues to be, difficult to attract people of color to NYU.” Things may be moving slowly in that respect, but they are improving. According to NYU’s Office of Institutional Research and Program Evaluation, the university’s class of 2023 includes representation from 12 percent African Americans (and 22 percent LatinX).

Choy’s combined men’s and women’s rosters last season illustrated great diversity with players from eight countries other than the U.S. and a player from Puerto Rico. “I think that our student-athletes have done an excellent job of recognizing, and calling out, microaggressions and stereotypes. Recognizing these things spurs conversation and, hopefully, understanding,” he remarked. “I think the diversity within our tennis teams and within the university is one of the things I appreciate the most. It is always refreshing to get a different perspective on life, politics, pop culture, etc. It’s not just the international students who bring diversoty, but also the students that we attract from across the country. At the end of the day, the similarities are what bind us together and the different perspectives are what make us stronger as a whole.”

Moving Forward

Choy, who is known for keeping his emotions in check during even the most intense matches and was nicknamed “Ice” for that calm demeanor by former players, remains hopeful for the future in spite of barriers. “With the climate being so divided and people not seeming to be able to agree on what others see as a fundamental truth, it is hard to know where we go from here. I think it is so important to treat one another with respect and to be willing to listen to each other,” he commented.