Bethany Christian vs. South Bend Riley

Looks like we're finished with the Michigan league, what with last night's cancellation, and in a weird summer season our last match of that Michigan league was against an Indiana opponent. We travelled over to the metropolis of South Bend to play the Riley Wildcats on a lovely evening for tennis.

We switched our lineup around a little bit due to missing players and wanting to give Mikey a chance to play a #1 singles opponent. And what an oppnent he found there. Steven Rieves, who had beaten Jared 3 years ago when Jared was a sophomore playing #3 singles, was Riley's number one player this year. With 3 years of varsity experience behind him, he looked like a player who knew his strengths and weaknesses. And his biggest strength was speed. He ran everything down. In the first set, it took Mikey a little bit to adjust to an opponent who rarely hit the ball hard, but also rarely made mistakes. He lost the first set 2-6, but was definitely finding the right strategies to compete. In the second set, the two traded games back and forth, but Mikey ended up losing 4-6.

At #2 singles, Ben Mast breezed through Kevin Kirkland, a left handed player with very good volley skills, but a few too many errors from the baseline. Ben was able to effectively move Kirkland and play to his slightly less polished backhand on many of the points and on serves. This gave Ben the advantage in most points, which he rarely let go of. He won 6-0, 6-1.

Riley was missing a #3 singles player, so Matt Ebersole also took on Kirkland. It was a great test for Matt to play a varsity level competitor. Matt has been involved in lessons and other summer activities to improve his game, and he held his own in the match. However, Kirkland just had too much pace and skill for him to overcome at this point.

At #1 doubles, Blake Shetler continued his penchant for winning long matches, wherever he is placed in the lineup. At Berrien Springs, he won 7-5, 7-5 and was the last match to finish with partner Jake Gerig. Versus Lakeshore he and Evan Grimes had gone the distance in an 0-6, 6-1, (10-8) match that was a strange turnaround. Tonight he moved up to #1 doubles with Austin Loucks, and stretched this match out as well. Austin served beautifully throughout, racking up the aces with a rapidly improving serve (all while lowering the double fault count) and Blake did a great job cleaning up weak returns at the net. Their opponents had a strange combination of huge first serves (that looked like hook shots!) and lobbed second serves that caused the match to lack a rhythm and timing. But after two and a half hours, Austin and Blake claimed a tiebreak victory, 10-7 in the third set super tiebreak.

Finally, the other quick match of the night saw Evan Grimes and Jake Gerig pick up their second wins of the summer season. They were able to take the net away rather effectively from their young opponents, and Jake's backspin approach shot seemed to fool them every time. It was a smooth 6-2, 6-0 for these guys.

So, we end the summer league with a 2-2 record. I certainly come away with some good impressions and also some real concerns. But, we'll leave those hang until next week. More than ever, I am ready for the real season to start. To practice, play and see how we really stack up. To get better, have fun, and bond more closely with teammates. It's going to be a great season.

Scores

#1S - Mikey Kelly loses to Steven Rieves - 2-6, 4-6
#2S - Ben Mast defeats Kevin Kirkland - 6-0, 6-1
#3S - Matt Ebersole loses to Kevin Kirkland - 4-8
#1D - Austin Loucks/Blake Shetler defeat Devean Haines/Jason Rankin - 6-4, 6-7 (4), (10-7)
#2D - Jake Gerig/Evan Grimes defeat Robert Marabella/David Martin - 6-2, 6-0

Summer Journal: Mikey's Match

Last week I posted some thoughts about Roddick's match against Federer. They were summed up with this line:

"Do what you do well and be self assured about it."

When I showed up for our summer league match against Lakeshore, Mikey Kelly was already there warming up with Ben Mast. He looked at me and said, "Matt, I'm Andy Roddick."

It was funny, because I was thinking about Mikey when I wrote my thoughts about Roddick, thinking that Mikey might benefit most from the italicized comment above. That Mikey needed to focus on what he did well and be confident about it. So I asked Mikey if he had read the article that I posted on the site, wondering if that was why he decided that he was Andy Roddick. Like most of my current team members, Mikey replied no.

So then I wondered what he was thinking. If it wasn't what I had posted about Roddick, what did it mean to Mikey to be Andy Roddick. Did it mean pounding 100 aces? Did it mean going for huge second serves? Did it mean pounding away at baseline groundstrokes? Did it mean wearing a hat and having his sweat pour off the bill? I didn't know.

In Mikey's match, then, he went on to play a player that had every advantage on him. The Lakeshore player if I was listing who had advantages in the following areas, it would go like this. Serve, no advantage. Both playeres had strong serves. But forehand, advantage Lakeshore. Backhand, advantage Lakeshore. Volley, advantage Mikey. Experience, advantage Lakeshore (he had played singles last year). All in all it looked like a tough match for Mikey to match up.

But I was so proud of Mikey. He used strengths that I didn't list in that summary of tennis skills above. He used his speed. He used his athleticism. He used a never-say-die attitude, even when down match point AND facing an overhead coming at him.

Besides that, he never got down on himself. He seemed confident even when trailing in both sets. Even after losing a tough first set tiebreak he didn't get down on himself. His head was up, and he was focused on the task at hand. Winning the next point, game, whatever. And nothing deterred him from that confidence.

In short, Mikey played like my description of Roddick: He used his strengths and was self assured about it.

I can't express how proud I am of Mikey. To me, this was not just some random Michigan league summer match. This was a statement. Mikey dealt with almost everything a match can throw at him: pressure points, match points, cramps, tiredness, heat, close sets, tiebreakers, and on and on. And his response was just like a Bethany player should respond.

He used his strengths and was confident about it.

I would have been proud of him even if he had lost. But I just wanted to give a public kudos to Mikey for his match. Mikey, you are such an asset to this team, and this match showed maturity and leadership. Not just in the way you played, but I also heard you encouraging #1 doubles next to you as there match was tight. If this sets the pattern for the season, we'll be successful, no matter what the records say...

...but I think they'll be good!

Bethany Christian vs. Lakeshore

The difference between the Michigan league last year and this year amazes me. Last year, we had a strong group of players coming back, and the league felt like a tune-up, something that really boosted our confidence and confirmed what a good team we would be. This year, with all new players, it is much more of an introduction to varsity tennis, a way to learn and prepare for the season. And it has been a good thing both years.

After debuting four players in our last Michigan match, two more were introduced to their first taste of varsity tennis last night. Nick Rebec and Evan Grimes played their first full varsity matches, and what matches they were! Nick teamed with Austin Loucks and played #1 doubles, while Evan joined Blake Shetler at #2 doubles. Also, Kyle Miller played a new position, contesting for the #3 singles win with regular doubles partner Russell Klassen missing for the evening.

And the results? Well, they were mixed. Evan and Blake pulled off the strangest of wins at #2 doubles. As they warmed up with their opponents, I was pleased to see that it was going to be a really even match. At least, I thought it was going to be really even, until Blake and Evan went out and lost the first set 6-0. But they began the second set with a game, so I thought they would at least make the second set close. Wrong again. They plowed ahead to a 5-0 lead in the set, before taking it 6-1. Blake really got on top of his groundstrokes while Evan patrolled the net, pouncing on volleys while letting Blake prolong the rallies. In the super tiebreaker third set, we finally got the close match we expected, but Evan and Blake finished it off 10-8.

In #1 doubles, Nick and Austin got off to a rough start against the big serving opponents, but were able to come from behind to take the first set into a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, they took an early lead but couldn't hang on. What was impressive from the #1 doubles team was their consistent commitment to taking the net and being aggressive there. What limited them were the numerous mistakes from the baseline and on return of serve. Consistency is needed to help this team dominate. The second set followed exactly the same script, except that Nick and Austin couldn't pull it back for a tiebreak. They lost 6-4 in the second.

In the singles matches, Kyle Miller got his first taste of singles in a long time. Struggling against an opponent who dropped the ball short all the time, and fighting his own rustiness after a week away at Convention (kind of like everyone else), Kyle couldn't find the finishing shots to put away his pesky opponent. In two close sets, Kyle was defeated.

At the other end of the courts, Ben Mast rushed out to a 4-0 lead and looked like he might cruise to another 6-0, 6-1 victory. His opponent simply could not keep the ball in the court. He looked like a great player expect he was always dumping the last shot long or wide. At 4-1, his coach talked to him about settling down and keeping the ball in play long enough to get his strokes going. That was bad news for Ben, because he did get his game going. Suddenly, he looked a player of comparable quality to Luke or Jared. Ben watched his lead dwindle with no little amount of frustration. The Lakeshore #1 came back to win the last 5 games of the first set and take the set 7-5. His great play continued into the second set, and Ben didn't have good answers. Now, Ben didn't play poorly, but this was by far the best player he's seen this summer in the league. So Ben felt defeat for the first time.

And then all attention focused on Mikey's match. And what a match it was. Both players had big serves. The Lakeshore #2 had big strokes all around, but had difficulty controlling them at times. Mikey had some big shots, but played more of a consistent, deep stroking game. In the first set, the players went back and forth, with no one taking more than a 2 game lead. The seesaw battle ended in a tiebreak, which the Lakeshore player pulled out 7-4. Then the second set went in the same pattern. Lakeshore would win an attacking point with a forehand up the line forcing Mikey into a rushed backhand. Then Mikey would consistently attack deep and to the backhand and win the next point on an overanxious error. Finally, Lakeshore held the 5-4 advantage and had a match point.

With a ripped forehand, he approached the net. Mikey could only lunge and sent a weak lob toward the sideline right by the net. I wasn't sure it would get over, or land in, it was so close to the net and sideline. But it did. Unfortunately it set right up for a huge smash, and the Lakeshore player was right there to capitalize. He pounded the ball, but very near Mikey. Mikey took a step and leaped up to volley the overhead. Amazingly he put it right into the open court, bouncing off the baseline. An incredible overhead save to deny a match point!

Mikey went on to win that game, and eventually the second set went into a tiebreak. Mikey prevailed 7-3. So that set the match up for the third tiebreak of the match, this a super tiebreaker to 10. The Lakeshore player looked beat when it began and sure enough, the errors piled up as Mikey pulled away early and late, staving off one run in the middle where Lakeshore closed the tiebreak to 6-5. He won the tiebreak 10-5.

But that's not the end of the story. Did I mention that Mikey was cramping all the way through the second set (which he won) and the tiebreak (which he also won)? Did I mention that Mikey's cramp was IN HIS RIGHT ARM! And yet he shook it off for an awesome win.

So I'm left encouraged and hoping that everyone realizes there is room to improve. And still a couple of months to improve before we contest for the Sectional.

#1S - Ben Mast - 5-7, 2-6
#2S - Mikey Kelly - 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), (10-5)
#3S - Kyle Miller - 3-6, 4-6
#1D - Austin Loucks/Nick Rebec - 6-7 (4), 4-6
#2D - Blake Shetler/Evan Grimes - 0-6, 6-1, (10-8)

Summer Journal: What to Learn from Roddick?

I watched a lot of great tennis last week. Loved Roddick's three matches, against Hewitt, Murray and then Federer. 16-14 in the fifth set? Incredible. But as a coach I was watching and noticing many of the little things that Roddick did to enable him to play his best tennis at Wimbledon, and to almost knock off the greatest player ever.

The first thing that I noticed was that Roddick unashamedly used his strength to dominate matches. He's not a huge baseline rally player, but he has a decent forehand and a servicable backhand for a player at that level. But he played so smart with those tools. The serve percentage was incredible, and not only did he swing for aces but also put the ball into the body of his opponents more often than one might expect. And when the point did swing to the baseline, he would wait for his moment to hit a big angled forehand out wide. Backhands? For the most part they were non-descript, just stroked cross-court in anticipation of a short forehand. He played to his strengths and played them well.

What was really impressive? His mentality. I'm used to watching Andy yell and give big "C'mons!" when he's winning. Then I'm also used to watching him slump his shoulders in defeat when he blows an easy point or loses an important one. Where was that this past week? Nowhere to be found. Sometimes, and I say sometimes, the emotions can be used to cover up severe doubt. That was how I thought Roddick used to be. In this tournament, he finally believed. His demeanor was cool and collected, both on the highs and the lows. Not that he didn't show any emotion, or get pumped up. It was just... smaller. Lit fists pumps, knowing nods of his head, smiles, and those type of things showed you that he believed and was in control of himself. You could just feel it.

That seems like a really good place for our team to start: Do what you do well and be self assured about it.

Because even if it doesn't work out like you want it to, you can stand tall and proud like Andy Roddick, despite the setbacks.

Bethany Christian vs. Berrien Springs

So coming off our loss to Buchanan, we travelled 15 minutes up US 31 to take on defending Regional champions Berrien Springs. The Buchanan coach had told me that they would be a really solid team, probably a favorite in the area to win the Regional once again, and the Berrein Springs coach let me know that they returned all but one from their State-qualifying team in 2008. After our poor performance against Buchanan, I wondered how we might do against a team who supposedly would be even better.

At Subway, between matches, I let the team know my assessment of the first match. We needed to play with ease, looseness, energy and confidence. Swing like we do during practice and warmup. Play with the belief that we belong on the court with whoever we are playing. And with that we went out to play.

Ben Mast played the type of match that I love. He played so well, dictating the match with the placement of his shots, playing to his opponent's weakness, staying in the points where his opponent was able to swing through, and finishing points when given the chance. The problem is that when you dictate with placement instead of pace, the opponents often think that the only reason you win is because they were playing poorly. That's what happened with Ben. He was so in control with his placement that the match breezed by on a steady stream of stretched out errors for his opponents and net putaways for Ben. He dropped 1 game this match, but still dominated 6-1, 6-0.

Seth had a little less trouble. Really coming over his groundstrokes and playing with heavy topspin, Seth moved his opponent back and forth and picked on the inconsistent game of the Berrien Springs player. Though he had to wait before playing his match because of Berrien's lack of a 5th court, Seth did a good job of staying loose and concentrating during his resting period. At tennis camp, we talked about visualizing and staying positive, and I was glad to see Seth get to practice that.

At #3 singles, we switched and let Claude play the singles match. Against a solid opponent, Claude ran down every shot and put the ball back deep time and time again. At 3-3 in the first set, Claude told me he was too sick to his stomach to continue. I told him to try to win the first set. He did. 6-4, the first set went to Claude as his consistent strokes and fancy spin were able to induce errors. But in the second set he couldn't make it. Tied at 1-1, Claude had to drop out.

The #2 doubles players played much different in this match. I could tell that they took my little speech to heart (or just had more energy because of getting something at Subway). They were always prepared for the next shot to come back at them. I was impressed with the net skills of and reflexes of both Jake and Blake. Many times they would have the ball pounded at them, and would quickly bounce it back into the court. Their consistent return gave their opponents more chances to make errors, and they eventually did. It was a very close match, but Blake and Jake pulled out the 7-5, 7-5 victory.

#1 doubles made me most happy of all. After looking afraid and timid in their first match, not communicating and generally putting out poor attitude and belief, Austin and Kyle started this match the same way. Down 5-1 in the first set, I communicated to them that they could not just stand and expect to win a varsity doubles match. They had to be active at the net, they had to poach, they had to take their chances and hit putaway volleys. They had to move their feet and be ready. They responded awesomely (that's a cool word!)

Austin began to boom his forehand returns, Kyle committed to getting low and hitting great volleys. Both players came up with big putaway volleys and attacked their opposite net man. Storming back into the match, Kyle and Austin won 6 straight games to win the first set 7-5. After the rush of energy from the first set, Kyle and Austin briefly returned to their tired, less active ways. Hugely to their credit, they refocused and behind some big serves from Austin and a final big forehand from Kyle, they took the match 6-4 in the second set.

I left tonight feeling awesome about the growth of our team within one day. In the afternoon, no movement, looking scared, just not hitting as we were capable of. In the second match, we pulled it together and began to do the things that we will need to continue to be a competitive team this season, and hopefully make a push for another Sectional crown. That type of progress is the thing we need to build on. Now we hope to wrap the whole team up into this upward progression.

Scores

#1S - Ben Mast --- 6-1, 6-0
#2S - Seth Krabill --- 6-0, 6-0
#3S - Claude Stickler --- 6-4, 1-1 (forfeit)
#1D - Kyle Miller/Austin Loucks --- 7-5, 6-4
#2D - Blake Shetler/Jake Gerig --- 7-5, 7-5

Bethany Christian vs. Buchanan

Last night, we began our quest to stay undefeated in the Michigan League "Border Wars."  Playing with a completely different varsity lineup than last year, it seemed like it may be a difficult task.  Playing minus four members competing for varsity this year made it an even bigger task.  Not playing with energy and footwork, form or confidence, that sealed it for us.  Just barely, our match versus Buchanan became our first loss in this summer league.

Not that it wasn't close, well, for the team anyways.  Ben Mast and Seth Krabill collected two points for the Bruins, easing through a pair of 6-0, 6-0 matches.  Their equally inexperienced opponents had trouble keeping Ben and Seth's "consistently consistent" groundstrokes in the court, and had the same trouble with Ben and Seth's rapidly improving serves.  While their matches came to a quick end, other matches seemed like they were just starting.

Kyle Miller and Austin Loucks found themselves paired together at #1 doubles.  Missing their normal partners to other obligations, Kyle and Austin had to adjust their similar games to playing with one another.  Both have similar strengths, and similar weaknesses.  In the heat, it looked as if Austin and Kyle were struggling to find energy, and struggling to believe in their own games or in each other.  On the other hand, their opponents attacked the net together with ease, pounding powerful volleys and when forced back, unleashing big forehands.  Despite not being overwhelmed in the talent category, #1 doubles fell 2-6, 0-6.  

Other matches were closer.  Jake Gerig and Claude Stickler played #2 doubles.  They too had trouble moving and looking like they had energy (maybe due to the fact that neither of them thought it was important to bring water to a 2-out-of-3 set match in the 90 degree heat!)  However, they battled through the first set due to the many errors from their opponents.  When they kept the ball in the court, Jake and Claude were right in the match.  When they were tired and not moving, when they were surprised by a shot coming back, when they dropped their hands, they made their own errors and ended up with too many in the second set.  After a tiebreak loss in the first set (perhaps due to their unfamiliarity with the format), they succumbed 2-6 in the second.

 

The match then came down to Blake Shetler playing #3 singles.  Buchanan only had 4 courts, so Blake jumped in a car with his opponent (despite the threat of kidnapping according to Kyle) and traveled a half mile to a "ghetto court."  That's the name we affectionately attach to courts that are pretty much un-taken care of.  Blake's court had cracks aplenty, but more affecting the match was the fact that the net had no center net strap, meaning it was probably 6-10 inches higher than a regular net.  It seems like this wouldn't affect the match, but Blake had trouble hitting his flat serve over and getting an advantage from that stroke.  

Also, like many of his teammates, Blake had trouble with the heat, movement and consistency.  I didn't get to see much of the match, but what I did see looked tentative.  A common newbie on the varsity often plays not to lose, and that tentativeness throws off their game.  The player who wins most varsity matches is the one who swings through in the match just like they do in the warmup.  Blake suffered from this, Austin and Kyle suffered from this, Jake and Claude suffered from this.  It's a common mistake.  Unfortunately for each of them, including Blake, it cost them the match.  

So we finished up with a 3-2 loss.  I was a bit disappointed, because we had the chance to win, but didn't bring the energy, confidence, and form that we've worked on through camp and summer sessions.  On the other hand, that's what the summer league is for.  To get experience, to learn what it means to play 2-out-of-3 set matches, to know what it takes to be a varsity player, and etc, etc.  And our success in the league will hinge more on whether we learn these things and carry them on, rather than our wins and losses.

Scores

#1S - Ben Mast --- 6-0, 6-0 

#2S - Seth Krabill --- 6-0, 6-0

#3S - Blake Shetler --- 3-6, 4-6

#1D - Kyle Miller/Austin Loucks --- 2-6, 0-6

#2D - Claude Stickler/Jake Gerig --- 6-7 (3), 2-6

Summer Journal: Threats of Rain

Q: When you are scheduled to play a match, why should you cancel it?

A: If it is raining.

I wish that was true.  Apparantly, the correct answer is "If it is raining, or might rain, or if you can't find enough players to play."  

Over the past week we've had matches cancelled for a combination of all three of those reasons.  It's been frustrating to say the least.  These summer matches are difficult enough to arrange, what with my players never answering their phones, not anxious to rearrange schedules, etc.  So it is kind of difficult to get 7 players around to play in a match.  And invariably, as soon as I get everyone committed to playing, it rains or the other team cancels because they don't have enough players.

It makes me want to quit, but I know that these matches could be important in developing our varsity players for next year.  And it stinks trying to convince players to come for this match, talking them into how much they need it, blah, blah, blah.  I don't want to feel like a nag.  On the other end, we have players who are really excited to play and then don't get the chance and they end up feeling like the whole league is kind of unorganized and not as committed as they are.  So anyways...

Tonight we play two matches, a rescheduled one against Buchanan and regularly scheduled match against Berrien Springs.  I'm looking forward to it.  We're probably not taking our tip-top lineup (Mikey and the Rebecs are missing), but I'm still looking forward to seeing how we play.  Here's to no rain, not even the threat!

Summer Journal: Camp Top Ten

10.  Brittany at Ruby Tuesday not being like we remembered her, but she remembered us!

9. The Pizza King waitress scaring Austin and Matt Ebersole.

8. Practicing on the "Ghetto" court.

7. P90X - "Bring It!"

6. Our new team members, Sam and Damien, or wait... Samantha and Jerome Bettis...

5. Another fight during Speedball? Yes.  Apparently it's group therapy.

4. "Whatever turns you on."

3. Kyle Miller - 3 time Hide-and-Go-Seek champ.

2. "I have to fart but I think it might be poop!"

1. Chowing down on KFC during Yoga practice...

What did I forget?  What will you remember?

Summer Journal: Observations

So team camp is well under way, Wednesday morning and we're waiting for the typical Wednesday rain to pass through.  Don't know how it always decides to rain on Wednesdays, but it has the past three years at least.  I think everyone is pretty excited for visiting Ruby Tuesday's tonight and seeing if Brittany still works there.  Last night we enjoyed a waitress at Pizza King who really told it like it was... and somehow knew Austin's name without being told... weird.

Anyways, here's a list of early observations from camp:

- Our groundstrokes really look good when we are concentrated and swinging through with confidence

- We go through many stretches each practice where we are not concentrated

- The ability to stay focused and positive will be huge for this group, it's the number one mental aspect we need to develop

- A preliminary lineup is starting to take shape within my head. 

- Mikey was afraid of the net two years ago when he started doubles.  He dominates the net now.

- Our biggest weakness in singles is going for too much, too soon.

- Our biggest strength is when we settle down and play consistent groundstrokes.

- Some of our freshmen and new players are developing quickly, some are not.  It's all about desire and focus.

- Julian and Matt ate 10 donuts between them the first day before lunch.

- Jake can't figure out who keeps stealing his donut holes (it's Kyle).

- Kyle and Seth know how to "Bring It," P90X style! 

- Kyle Miller has never been found in three years of Hide-and-Go-Seek

- Some people on the team really like reading... that's cool.

- They really like reading vampire love stories... not cool.

- Jake = loudest snorer.  Seth = wheeziest snorer. Kyle = inconsistent snorer.  What a beautiful symphony they are.

- Andy Slagel throws really hard in dodgeball, Austin makes funny noises combined with jacked-up ninja moves, Evan crashes hard into folding chairs.

And on and on and on.  Camp is going well, and hopefully we're all getting better.  Until later...

Summer Journal: Visualize

The mind believes whatever it is that it sees.  We can't escape this.  That's why school's are trying to be more experiential, the sciences seek to prove through experiment, and our experiences teach us more than what people describe to us.  Our mind tends to believe what we put in front of it.

But one neglected part of our mind is our imagination.  The root of imagination is image, meaning that our imagination is the images that we put into our mind.  Imagination doesn't mean make believe, it means the images that we think about and visualize.  The thing is, that when we use this visualization, the mind sees these images and begins to believe them to.  It makes life much richer when we use our imagination.

This is easily applicable to life.  When people constantly see themselves in a certain way, they can never overcome it.  Kobe Bryant has talked about watching himself hit big shots in big games, people struggling with depression often replay negative images and project negative futures, and these things become fulfilled.  So I wonder as I think about tennis next year, what do we visualize?

I've started working out with guys this week, Mikey, Ben, Seth, Kyle, and Andy Slagel have all showed up at some point to begin to work on their games.  When I see people working hard, it's easy to imagine success. 

October 3rd, the air is a bit crisp in the morning as we warm up with anticipation.  In our minds are visions of success, and in our strokes an essence of confident ease.  We've worked hard all season long, and we're ready to play hard for our final goal.  As the first match moves along we conquer our nerves with well-played strokes and strategy and move on to the Sectional final.  In the final, we pump up our energy and get ready to play in a fun match that we've waited all season for.  Our singles players stroke the ball to all corners, running their opponents back and forth and finishing points with well-placed volleys and confident fist pumps.  Our doubles players attack, from baseline and net.  At the end of the day, we stand around with arms on shoulders singing Sarasponda and holding the trophy high.

Is that what we visualize?  I can see it.

Summer Journal: Rainy Days

It's the first day of summer, and as my wife and I got up this morning, a thunderstorm rolled through Goshen.  It was frustrating, but it was really fitting.

Last night, I made the rounds to graduation parties.  I got to go to four different parties yesterday, all for tennis players.  It was supposed to be a grand celebration of things accomplished, but I had the feeling of a parent letting their children go.

I have to be honest, I'm not a fan of graduation parties.  First of all, I pretty much only go to the parties of tennis players.  So I care deeply about all of my players, and there's a bit of sadness watching them move on from the team, knowing that I won't see them at practice or school.  Going to graduation parties reminds me of what our team is losing.

Of course, like anything, it's not one sided.  There's also a pride in knowing that I've been privileged to be a part of such special guys lives.  I wish there was a better place to share this with all of them, but at the parties there are so many people talking to the graduates, it feels like an impersonal setting to discuss what a graduate has meant to the team, what I hope for their future, etc, etc.

So, yesterday kind of felt like the real end of last year's team.

And therefore, today was to be the first day of this year's team.

We were going to get together this morning and start some workouts.  I am actually really excited about some of the morning workouts that we've got planned this year.  If guys commit to it, I think it will make us really competitive next year.  And so I got up early with my wife to workout so that I could be ready to hit with several guys at 7:30.  I was pumped, and that sounds stupid, but I'm already ready for the tennis season to start.

Then the rain.

Oh well, better rain this week than during Team Camp next week.  I hope this doesn't continue, because I'm starting to get nuts about not being able to play!

2009 Summer Schedule

Open Courts 

Monday and Wednesday, 4:00-6:00

Summer Team Camp

June 8 - June 12

Summer Tennis League

June 16 - vs. Buchanan

June 18 - vs. Bridgman

June 23 - at Berrien Springs

June 25 - vs. Niles

July 7 - vs. Lakeshore

July 9 - vs. South Bend Adams

July 14 - at South Bend Riley

July 16 - at LaPorte

Advanced Individual Workouts

Daily - arranged with Matt

2009 Schedule

Click on the image below to see the schedule:

Yes, I made all those logos.

Friday Thoughts

What I'm Looking Forward To

The 2008 tennis season held lots of good memories and moments. But I'm savoring the upcoming season as well. Here's a top ten of things I'm relishing in the coming season.

10. Michigan league domination?
9. The Warsaw Invitational, because we will play against ranked teams and not be intimidated.
8. Team Camp. Oh, the best days of the season are a coming.
7. Revisiting all of our traditions (Magic Wand, Pizza King, Night Out, Sarasponda, Praying the Lines, Midnight Practice, Team Cheer, etc, etc, etc...)
6. My new system for planning practices. I'm actually excited about this, but it's kind of a nerdy organizational thing.
5. Seeing our leaders mature and lead.
4. Watching Russell play varsity matches and smash all who doubt him.
3. Morning workouts throughout the summer.
2. The win total of whoever ends up at #3 singles.
1. Attempting to defend the Sectional title.

What are you excited about?
What are our departing seniors excited about as they head to college?

Wednesday Numbers : 2008-2009

It's the last real day of the school year for me, tomorrow is a talent show and softball game. So, though this has been done before, I'd like to look back at my favorite memories from 2008-2009, and look ahead to 2009-2010.

Favorite 2008-2009 Tennis Memories

Seniors
Luke Hostetter - Your Sectional final match against Preston was amazing, to watch you dig in and decide that you weren't going to lose, that you were going to make him fight to win. That determination and attitude were the reasons you succeeded at number one for three years.

Jared Schwartzentruber - The maturity and MAJOR step forward that you took after our conversation at Goshen early in the season. You were silently the most assured position we sent out on the court every match after that one. I don't know if people realize, but after playing out of position against Northridge and then losing to Ryan Wengerd, you went 19-1 the rest of the season, only losing in a super tiebreak. That is amazing progress, and it was all a credit to your attitude.

Jonny Shenk - I remember calling you from Camp Amigo to talk about your early season struggles. That conversation gave me a lot of confidence in how deeply you cared for the team and for tennis in general. And you used that passion to do the work. I even love the memory of you falling down on the court after the East Noble match, because caring about something is a lot harder to persist in than succeeding in something. But my favorite Jonny match this year was your dismantling of Brock Bechtel on senior night. You had everything going, and it was fun to watch.

Johnny Kauffman - Honestly, my favorite moment was you stretching while the team played as you battled through your back injury. That showed a lot of leadership, showing up despite not being able to play. Also, the big matches you guys won this year (at Penn, vs. NorthWood), those were awesome. The way you attacked the net with confidence and intimidated others, awesome. The way you pounded down shots out of the I-formation, AMAZING.

Jeremy Thomas - No doubt about it, you played your best match at the biggest time: Sectional Final. You were dominant in that match, and I will always see you as the person who pushed us over the top to win the Sectional. I know, Johnny played well too, but I feel like you were the difference from the first time we played NorthWood to the second. And then you played awesome against East Noble too, to bad they didn't lose until the State final.

Daniel Buschert - Your continual questions about how to get better kept me sharp as a coach this year. I appreciate that. I'm excited that you continue to get better and are heading to college to play. My favorite match this year for you and Mikey was the second time against Concord. They were shell-shocked as you guys didn't even give them a chance. I loved to see that confidence grow.

Matthew Amstutz - I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for this season. You are the reason we had the team spirit that we did. You were such an important part. I wish I could really make you believe that. I am so happy to hear that you are continuing to play. You've got so much potential.

Justin Gregor - Your match at Penn was perhaps the funnest match all season. We were in good spirits because the varsity had already won, and your match sealed the JV's continued undefeated season. It was really fun to see you get better.

Juniors

Mikey Kelly - Your match against Fairfield in Sectional was awesome. You fought yourself mentally the whole third set, and then it just clicked and you began to really play. I don't know what happened to help you hold it together with your back against the wall, but I was really proud of you.

Austin Loucks - Your dedication right after the season was amazing. You came to every open court, every workout session, every weight lifting opportunity. That was exactly what we need from our incoming seniors. I was so glad to see it. Okay, I was super pumped to see that.

Misha Rebec - This past season, your match against Jimtown was a great one. I loved how you jumped to the middle of the net to control doubles matches from there. Playing with Claude wasn't something that you did often, but in that match you guys played well together.

Claude Stickler - Your match at Penn was awesome too. Playing singles against another guy who hit silly shots, spinning all over the place, talking throughout the whole match. It was again a really fun match and memory.

Jake Gerig - Triple Wildebeast. I really don't have anything else to say besides, that every time you came forward and slammed the ball crowd yelling Triple Wildebeast!

Nick Rebec - You had an excellent season, I think it can sometimes go unnoticed. You only lost one match the whole season. But your backhand is awesome. I look forward to seeing it get even better during the summer, and then unleashing on unsuspecting varsities across Northern Indiana.

Sophomores

Seth Krabill - My favorite memory from this season is how much better you've gotten during this offseason. My favorite match memory? Two weeks ago when you played Luke to a tiebreak here at Bethany. That is the hope for the future that I have.

Russell Klassen - Your undefeated season was a thing of beauty. You won singles matches, you won doubles matches. The match at Penn was again my favorite. You and Kyle committed to playing good doubles strategy, and they couldn't withstand your attacking presence and big forehand.

Kyle Miller - Love your big serve. Love your forehand. Loved it when you committed to doubles strategy with Russell in the Jimtown match and continued throughout the season. I think my favorite memory though is when you guys pulled back from behind at Jimtown, in your first doubles match together. A lot of it had to do with your confidence in winning your serve.

Ben Mast - Your commitment is a motivator to me as a coach. People who want to play and give their hearts to this game, they make me want to give my all. You had some great matches last year, your play at the Wayne Invitational and Jimtown Invitational, playing against varsity competition, should give you more heart for this year. You are still an undefeated varsity player, keep that record up! But your Northridge match was amazing. You confidently controlled the last two sets, and it was the first of many varsity wins for you.

Freshman

Blake Shetler - Okay, team camp is certainly the best memory from last season. I knew so little of you. But I was also psyched to see you so many mornings this winter. The team will only continue to be good as long as players stay dedicated. Your dedication is just the start.

Evan Grimes - I'm just glad your mom called the night before tennis started. You improved so much in your first season. To actually end the season with a winning record, considering where you started, that was a real accomplishment.

Matt Ebersole - It's silly, but what made me a little mad has now become a harmless goofy memory. You showing up to practice without shoes on is something I'll never forget.

Tomorrow, I'll move on to what I'm looking forward to. Thanks for the memories so far, each of you.