Tuesday Tennis Tip: Anticipation

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting tennis tips from the beginning of a stroke through the end. That means we'll start with getting prepared to take up the proper court position, all the way through the swing and follow-through and ending with getting prepared for the next shot. This is a way for me to learn, as I have to look up all these things, and then you can come along for the ride... I hope you learn something!

Anticipation, knowing what is going to happen so that you can move to it. Anticipation is a highly overlooked part of each tennis players game. The truth is, I can tell what type of player you are, what level of player you are, by how you anticipate the shot that is coming at you.

Beginner - Reacts to the ball only after it has bounced on his side.
Intermediate - Reacts to the ball as it is crossing the net.
Advanced - Reacts to the ball when it leaves his opponent's racquet.
Top Player - Reacts by looking at oppoent's racquest face, level of contact, opponent's body position, etc. Can tell what type of shot is coming and where it will likely go.

So, picking up the ball earlier is very important. By picking up the ball earlier, I mean knowing where the ball is going at an earlier time. The sooner you know where the ball is going, the faster you can get prepared for your shot.

I don't just want to tell you that anticipation and attention is important, I want to give you some ways to improve. Here are several quick tips to knowing the direction of the ball sooner.

1. Know your opponent's shot types from the warm-up. Do they use all topspin, take some balls with slice, hit high over the net or low? Topspin balls bounce deeper and slice will mean you will likely have to move forward. Pay attention to these tendencies.

2. Observe the opponent's racquet face, stance, and preparation for a hit. Are they brushing over the ball? Then it is topspin, be prepared for power and deep. How are they moving their hips? Where are they contacting the ball? Concentration is needed, but will pay dividends!

3. Note the speed of the swing. Harder swings will drive the ball deeper through the court. Softer give you the advantage of moving forward.

4. Notice whether the swing is high-to-low or low-to-high. High-to-low means slice, move forward. Low-to-high means topspin, be prepared.

These are some basic notes on anticipation. They are good concentration drills as well, things to notice that will keep you mentally in a match. I encourage you to start thinking about them as we go through practice, especially as you warm-up. Moving through the stages of anticipation will result in a higher level of play!

Monday Morning Match Memories

I've made a lot of match memories posts over the last year, and each of them help to define what Bethany Christian tennis is all about. If you've never read any of them, or want to review, that's what this post is for. Here is a short synopsis, with the moral of the story, for each of my favorite match memories so far.

BC vs. Eastern, 2009
Score: Bethany 2, Eastern 3
Synopsis: Against a one loss team, Kyle and Austin came out playing with high energy, and it filtered into the rest of the team. Playing our best tennis of the year, with a chance to win the tournament, we fell just short.
Moral of the Story: Energy will filter to through the whole team.

BC vs. Howe Military, thru the years
Score: NA
Synopsis: Counting down the top 10 memories from playing Howe Military. Includes stories about Justin Gregor, Evan Grimes, Austin Loucks, Joel King, Will and Weston Troyer among others.
Moral of the Story: Even a match that we usually win easily with our JV has it's purposes and memories.

BC at Jimtown JV Invite, 2008
Score: 1st Place
Synopsis: Our JV team, led by our current group of varsity players, dominated this tourney against Concord, Jimtown and Rochester. We did not lose a position in the entire tournament!
Moral of the Story: We have lots of really great talent on the varsity this year.

BC vs. NorthWood, 2008 Sectional Final
Score: 4-1
Synopsis: The team (full of seniors) played with a lot of poise and emotion, and won the first 3 matches off the court to sweep to a Sectional championship.
Moral of the Story: A Sectional championship was quite an enjoyable relief to share with those who worked for it!

BC vs. Penn, 2008
Score: 4-1
Synopsis: No one expected us to compete with a school of 3,300 students who had a tradition of excellent tennis. But we came out believing, and letting everyone know it with our high fives and encouragements. We all shared the energy in our loosest, best played match of the year.
Moral of the Story: When no one expects you to win, competing with confidence and energy and winning is the ultimate joy!

Johnny/Jeremy vs. Andy Van Klaveren/Michael Ciesielski, 2007
Score: 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (8)
Synopsis: After storming through the first set, Johnny and Jeremy got into the best match I've seen for a long time. They trailed 3-6 in the 3rd set tiebreaker, but fought off three match points to come back and win. Did I mention the team match was tied 2-2 at the time?
Moral of the Story: Pressure is a good thing, it means you are playing for something. Enjoy it!

BC vs. Lakeland, 2004
Score: 2-3
Synopsis: In the Lakeland Tournament Final, with the match tied at 2-2 , our #1 doubles team kind of fell apart emotionally. But it taught a lesson to the rest of the team, that we must deal with emotion.
Moral of the Story: We have to learn to deal with tension, emotion and the crowd in healthy ways.

Matthew Amstutz vs. Malachi Randolph, 2008
Score: 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Synopsis: On senior night, Matthew jumped up from #3 singles JV to play #3 singles on the varsity. In a close and powerful match, Matthew got what he deserved, a big win!
Moral of the Story: Every player is important on pushing a team to victory. As a #3 singles JV player, Matthew did as much as anyone to help us win a Sectional.

BC vs. Northridge, 2007
Score: 2-3
Synopsis: Jonny Shenk and Luke Hostetter win there positions in 3 sets, but the whole team comes out firing, setting the tone for what would be our Sectional Runner-Up team.
Moral of the Story: Three things defined this team, and need to be true to compete.
1. We meet challenges with confidence and compete our best.
2. We play with emotion and passion.
3. We play without fear.

BC vs. Goshen, 2003
Score: 1-4
Synopsis: I gave the most awesome pregame speech ever, telling our team to "Cut off their heads." We lose, and lose badly.
Moral of the Story: Again, three lessons from this story.
1. A coach should make their words few, honest, and impactful.
2. Talent beats emotion.
3. Depth wins Sectionals.

Joel King vs. Marc Stutzman, 2004
Score: 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4
Synopsis: A super tight, super competitive match with it's share of luck and skill, sees Joel pull out a gutty performance that actually ends at Goshen College's courts under the lights.
Moral of the Story: Joel launched an era in Bruin tennis, an era of knowing we can win against anyone.

Wes Klassen vs. Preston Swain, 2005
Score: 7-6 (5), 6-1
Synopsis: Wes swings big all match long, pounding his forehand into Preston's backhand, and pulls off a signature win in his great career.
Moral of the Story: In big matches, play smaggressive. Wes swung big, but often went crosscourt.

BC vs. Triton, 2003
Score: 3-2
Synopsis: Joel King makes a massive comeback, upsetting the opposing coach and firing up all of the Bruin players in one of the first close matches I had coached. It's still one of my favorites to this day.
Moral of the Story: Use your energy, get yourself up after big shots, have fun!

If you read all the way through the posts, I'm impressed. What did you learn? Are any alumni on here remembering these matches? Leave your comments!

Wednesday Opponent Overview

All-Time Record vs Northridge: 0-8

Classic Matches:

2008: Northridge 3, Bethany Christian 2
Johnny Kauffman's injury forces him to watch from the sideline as Jared Schwartzentruber joins Jeremy Thomas at #1D as we tried to pull off our first win ever against the Raiders. Also of note, Ben Mast wins his first varsity match over eventual regional champion Dylan Pieri.

2007: Northridge 3, Bethany Christian 2
Luke Hostetter and Jonny Shenk pull off three set wins as the Bruins put their very first scare into the Raiders. Before this season, we rarely won a position!

Top Players over the Years: Andy Dowell, Blake Sandberg, Jeff George, Nick Myers, Jeremy Clarke, Brantz Brandenberger

Last Season Result: Northridge 4, Bethany Christian 1

Returning Varsity Players:
#1S - Nick Myers (def. Ben Mast, 6-2, 7-5)
#3S - Dave Long (def. Mikey Kelly, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3)

Top Returning JV Players:
A.J. Thielking (def. Matt Ebersole, 9-7)
Nate Brendle (def. Claude Stickler, 8-1)
Dylan Wengerd (def. Ike Lehman, 8-3)
Chris Robbins (def. Jake Gerig/Evan Grimes, 8-1)
Connor Cameron/Doug Jakubowicz (def. Ryan Minter/Wade Troyer, 8-2)

Outlook:
We certainly return more varsity players than Northridge, but Nick Myers will be one of, if not the best, #1 in the area next year. Not that Seth and Ben can't push him if they work throughout the year (as evidenced by Ben's match this year!) They had a very successful JV last year, and they are very talented. The question will be if those JV players come in with the confidence needed in varsity players. I am hoping for a close match, but I certainly think that the match is winnable if we put in our off-season work. I am convinced that this is one of several matches that we will win or lose in the off-season, with our commitment and work ethic.

Monday Morning Match Memories

My most favorite memory from the 2009 season is a match that we lost. That is not too surprising if you know me, I deeply believe that more good can be done through a loss than through a victory. A loss can leave you tasting your desire to win, can motivate you to work harder, can be the very thing that pushes you to a truly crucial victory.

When we faced Eastern at the Wabash Invitational, I fully expected to lose the match. Eastern was a senior-laden team that had only lost once all season, and we were literally just coming off a stinging defeat from Wabash. As in, the singles matches in the Eastern match started before we had even lost to Wabash. That is the way these tournaments go.

And early, it didn't look good for us. Ben Mast was playing one of the better #2 singles players he faced all year, and Blake Shetler (playing just his second match at #3 singles) lost his first set. Seth Krabill was competing well, but with Eastern's #1 doubles team sitting at undefeated for the year, victory looked bleak for us.

Of course, nobody could tell that to Kyle Miller and Austin Loucks. All year they had been our heroes, and in this match, they came out to prove that they could play at the highest level. And it was if that belief was flowing into the rest of the team. Kyle and Austin didn't back down at all, and played all out in their best set of the year.

Now Kyle and Austin's infusion into the team energy gives me the example to explore something I've always believed. Somehow, teams feed off of an individual's energy. When one person gives an impassioned "c'mon" or a doubles team offers a determined high five, it is not just seen and heard by teammates, somehow it is felt. It can come from players who are on the court or off of it. I've seen matches turn because the #1 singles player wins his match on an end court and then hustles down to lend his energy to #2 doubles. I've seen two players drop their first set, and then rally together, next to each other, to push the match into the third. Confidence breeds confidence, energy breeds energy, and so on and on.

And where does it all come from? Desire and care. The people who lend their energy to others are the ones who really care about more than themselves. Kyle and Austin wanted the team to be successful, they wanted the team to win matches, even if it was despite their own match. Both of them were flexible at the beginning of the season when we switched doubles partners around a million times. They were willing to do whatever it took to see the team win.

And so, with that attitude, when they got excited, everyone else did to.

Blake made a furious comeback in his match, attacking the net and being aggressive. Seth played with a determined game and sunk Eastern's #1 player in a tight 7-5, 7-5 affair. Russell Klassen and Nick Rebec came out and started their match with a bang, taking an early lead. The confidence, the belief had buoyed everyone, whether they consciously believed it or not.

But then, we lost.

You see, Eastern was really good. In fact, they were probably better than us. Kyle and Austin pushed their energy as far as it would go, but they couldn't take the tiebreaker in the first set. Russell and Nick held onto a lead, and served for the first set, but lost it instead in a tiebreak. Ben put up a fight but couldn't break down his opponent.

The shared team energy is awesome, but it takes more than that to win a big match.

It takes energy, talent and experience.

We've got talent coming back this next season. And five of the players who played in this match return, so we are going to have the experience under our belts. Hopefully, we can match the energy, because, if we do, we might find ourselves as champions.

Tuesday Tennis Tip: Watch Tennis on TV

It doesn't seem like a real tip, but I've found that I never play better than when I watch professional tennis on television.

Actually, it does several things for you...

1. It renews passion for tennis. When you see people playing at the highest level, especially if you see a great match like the Nadal-Federer finals at Wimbledon, or the Roddick-Federer final last year, you feel awesome to both have been a part of the match (by watching) and to be a tennis player yourself. And then the next thing you want to do is go and play.

2. You learn how a point should be played. Professional tennis players have studied the strategies of our game to their limits. They do almost everything the way that it is supposed to be done. From the warmup (where they hit the ball to each other, but keep their feet moving), to the serve, to the emphasis on the cross-court shot; they do everything right in framing a point.

3. You see how important footwork is. There isn't a player on the professional tour who doesn't have great footwork. They all have solid technique, and most of them are fast on top of that. And watch a player who gets on a role at a tournament, their feet will be flying all over the court. And if a talented player is in the process of being upset, watch their feet. I guarantee they are reacting slowly and allowing their feet to slow down or stop.

4. You have the ability to learn. From watching for yourself to listening to the commentators, a tennis match on TV is a tennis player's virtual classroom. Watch the way that Roddick rotates his hips and body on a serve if you are having trouble generating power. Watch the way Federer stays down and in position over all of his shots. Watch the way Nadal fires himself up when having a difficult match. Watch Murray's preparation for his return. Watch Djokovic's impressions of other players (because they are funny).

When I was in high school, I was a baseline player. Exclusively. I hated coming to the net, it was intimidating to me and so I decided that I was only a singles player. But inside, I loved the beauty of the putaway volley. My favorite player was Pete Sampras, and he had the beautiful strategy of serve and volley, which is all but extinct now (go Taylor Dent!)

My senior year, I realized that I was going to be headed to college to play tennis. And in college you have to play both singles and doubles to be a full member of the team. And to play doubles I was going to have to volley. So I watched Sampras serve and volley. I watched his legs. I watched the way that he never bent at the waist to get down to a volley, but instead he would bend his knees. I watched his unbelievable ability to watch the ball right into his racket, and his head was almost always level with the ball as he made contact. It was amazing. Then I picked up my racket and headed to the garage wall that I used to bang tennis balls against. Over and over I tried to bend my knees and pick up low shots, hit crisply with the head of my racket up, all like Sampras.

And that's how I learned to volley. Honestly. I only had like 6 sessions of private lessons, and all we focused on was my serve and my forehand. I learned the backhand from books and my volley from Pete himself.

What have you learned from the pros? Who do you like to watch on the television? Do you think it can really help?

MMMM #1: The Question

Last week, I posted how I wished that I could do the right thing no matter who followed me. And so with that in mind, holding myself to the right thing no matter what, it's time to say what question will help me determine whether I'm doing the right thing or not.

See, it's a question of priorities. What is tennis more important than? That's the question.

For me, is it more important than my family - no.

Is it more important than pastoring my church - no.

Is it more important than lesson planning for my seventh grade class - uh, let's leave that unanswered.

Is it more important than an extra half an hour of sleep, the time that it would take me to get up in the morning and run an indoor open gym - YES.

Is it more important than the 25 minutes of blog surfing that I do instead of keeping the community alive on this website - YES.

What is it more important than for you?

I ask this question, because this is what happens when you make tennis a priority.


I want this feeling, this experience, this coming together of different people around a common priority once again!

TR #1: Affirmation

Back again are Thursday Rants, things that I am passionate about. Usually, these pertain to tennis. Not always.

I crave affirmation. Here on this website, I feel affirmed when people leave comments. In my classroom, I feel affirmed when people confirm that they have learned something new or had fun. At home, I am affirmed by a hug from my son or an "I love you" from my wife. At church, I am affirmed when someone doesn't sleep through my sermon, or (rarely) takes notes!

When I don't feel affirmation, I'll tell you what I do: I quit.

That's what happened to this website. I was really stressed, had a lot of things on my plate, and nobody seemed to be interested in what I was writing on this website. So I stopped writing. It also happens during the tennis offseason. I get really excited about all the possibilities for open courts, tournaments, taking lessons, assessing strengths and weaknesses. But if no one else gets excited, these things don't happen. I could track a million other things like this in my classroom, home, church, and on and on.

If no one else cares, then I have trouble caring.

I say this not as a way to get a flood of comments (though it would be cool), but instead because I'm ashamed. Well, ashamed is too strong of a word, but I hate the fact that I need affirmation. Well, hate is a strong word too.

What I do not understand is why I can't just do something because it is the right thing to do. In other words, having an open court every Monday morning at 6:30 so we can continue to serve throughout the winter is the right thing to do. It is how we will get better. Even if no one shows up, why don't I just do it? Or having weight-lifting after school so we can grow stronger and can compete with big hitters like Wyatt Stutzman or Steve Blinco and others, that's the right thing to do. Why don't I continue to do it even if varsity players never come?

I want to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing.

So maybe this rant is just aimed at myself. I need to get over my fear, and simply do the right thing.

With that in mind, tomorrow we'll move on to the right question.

How about any of you? Feel like you have trouble doing the right thing, putting in the work, making the sacrifice if no one else is willing to? How do you deal with that?

Wednesday Opponent Overview

I know, I know, it's going to take awhile for people to come back to the site, since I haven't posted for months. And I know that it's going to take some creative posting for me to get you all back. So, let's start with this.

Wednesday's last season were for breaking down our opponents, the teams we are going to play next year. That tradition will continue this winter, starting with this overview post. An overview of the whole season that is.

So, without further ado, here's a power ranking of the opponents we will play next year. I have factored in graduation and JV results, so here's what I think.

1. Northridge - Return only two varsity players, but had a very strong JV team last season. Also, Nick Myers returns at #1, where he looks to be the best player in the area.

2. Fairfield - Return all three of their singles players, and their JV doubles gave us a beat down. Of course, we return five varsity players, so I'm not saying it won't be a match!

3. Concord - Jason Denton will be their only returning player, but he will be a force at #1 singles, I believe. Coach Denton gets their players to work hard over the summer, so I think they'll be ready come August.

4. Westview - Led by #1 and #2 singles returning, the Warriors defeated us in a close match last year. With Steve Blinco being one of the best players around, this match could be close again.

5. Goshen - They were a really young team last year, and they return 6 of 7 varsity players. We handled them easily last year, but they will grow a lot with experience. Hopefully, we will too!

6. Taylor - The only match we won at the Wabash Invitational suddenly becomes the hardest. They return their complete singles lineup as well as #2 doubles.

7. Eastern - Another Wabash Invite opponent, Eastern had a strong graduating class that almost won them a Sectional title. They bring three of their varsity players back from a team that only lost twice.

8. Triton - We always have close matches with the Trojans, especially as they get played on a Saturday morning. This year they graduated 5, but had a strong JV season (defeated us 4-1).

9. Wabash - Host of a great invitational, the Apaches lose #1 singles, #1 doubles, and #3 singles. Those were positions of strength for them last season, as they almost took their Sectional title. Don't know a lot about their JV, but they have always been a tough matchup for us.

10. Fremont - Another team that he faced that was young. They will return their singles lineup, where they had raw talented players. If the talent is shaped with some experience, they will be good.

11. Bremen - We had a weird match against them this year, only finishing 3 matches officially. They return 4 from that team, led by Thomas Manges. Perhaps this is the year where Ben gets a rematch?

12. Jimtown - Another program that will be rebuilding from graduation, the Jimmies will defend their Sectional title without any of the players who helped them win it. Sophomore-to-be Brett Aller will lead their way.

13. NorthWood - A Sectional opponent who had difficulty getting a win with a really young team, but they improved rapidly over the course of last season. I do not expect them to continue to suffer 1-win seasons for long.

14. Rochester - The Rhinos are another team headed in the right direction. Good coaching, young players, but the team seems to enjoy playing and they will be competitors.

15. Tippecanoe Valley - It always seems to rain when we are supposed to play them. We haven't played them for 2 years, so I really don't have an accurate way to gauge their program other than their record.

16. LaVille - The Lancers had their program almost completely shut down 3 years ago. Last year they fielded a full varsity team. It's great to see their progress in a short amount of time. When I started coaching they hosted a great tournament that we played in. It be great for tennis to see them at that level again.

17. Prairie Heights - They return 3 of their varsity, but the team did not match up well against us or our JV last season. We do get to play at Prairie Heights this season, and they will have a home court advantage as their courts slant up towards the middle.

18. Churubusco - They had a great doubles team last year, making the all-district team and playing fantastic tennis. But they lacked numbers for the rest of the team.

So, there you have it. We may drop or add some opponents to this list throughout the off-season here, but that's a quick rundown of what to expect.

What do you think? Do you have opponents you are excited to play? Teams that were fun to play against this year? Favorite or forgettable memories from any of these teams?

Renewed.

Christmas time is over, J-term has been exhausted, and over the Martin Luther King break I found myself feeling refreshed for the first time since... before tennis season. It's been a long time that I've felt ground under all the things that I've had to do. Coaching, teaching and pastoring will do that to you.

But something else important started this weekend: The Australian Open.

And with that, my passion for tennis came back. I watched one match, Jelena Dokic vs. Alisa Kleybanova. I didn't care about either player. Gideon decided we were rooting for the girl wearing black (Kleybanova). And I started thinking like a tennis coach again.

All of a sudden, I missed my team. I missed the players who are preparing for next season, with 6 of you taking lessons last semester and I didn't feel like I was too involved. I missed my players who are graduating, Austin, Mikey, Misha, Nick, Claude and Jake, fearing that I won't have contact with them again. I missed players past graduated, who have kept up with the program through the site, and I kept up with them from here. And I missed tennis.

There's nothing more beautiful than a putaway volley, an ace up the middle, a powerful forehand passing shot. I miss it.

So I'm back to posting on the site. And I crave your comments. This site is so that I get to stay up on what's happening with all of my team, past, present and even future. So comment, about anything, even if it doesn't have to do with whatever I post.

And thanks, I realize how much I enjoy coaching you again.

Fall Shorts - A Cute Race

Click on the cartoon to see it bigger.



What do you think?

Our Hero Award

Sorry for the hiatus. I both had trouble with the internet here at school (early last week) and flew to Colorado to officiate the wedding of my sister (late last week). So here I am, back at school, back in the flow, and ready to hand out another award.

Throughout the year, there are many exciting matches that we get to take part in. That is what makes memories. In some of those matches, we come out victorious. In some of those matches, we fall to our foes. But if someone consistently comes up big under pressure, they find themselves as a team hero.

This year, we had one team come through under pressure multiple times. Twice they won matches for the team by closing out opponents and sealing 3-2 victories. 5 out of 6 times they won the third sets that they played in (their only 3rd set loss came in a super tiebreak).

First, they helped us beat Jimtown early in the season when we had to forfeit a position because Mikey could not continue his match. After winning the first set, Jimtown stole the momentum by taking a very close second match and sending the decider into a third set super tiebreaker. But Kyle and Austin came through, from being down 6-3 they pulled out 7 straight points in the tiebreak to seal the win for themselves and for Bethany. It was a great moment of victory for them, and set the tone for a heroic rest of the season.

In their next close match, they took on an undefeated team (that was named to the All-District team this week) from Triton. After losing the first set in a tiebreaker, Austin and Kyle roared back to take the second set 6-3. The third set went back and forth, with Kyle and Austin holding a 5-3 lead and poised to take the game. The team match was tied at 2-2, and this was a big victory on the season for us. Austin and Kyle gave away the lead, but were able to take the third set to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak they performed valiantly, never falling to the pressure but staying aggressive. They won 7-5, and the team won 3-2.

Those are great herioc memories, and they rival ones created by other late match heriocs through the years. The Triton match is one of the great Bethany matches ever that I've coached. And it gives future players the goal to aspire to. Congrats to our heroes, Kyle Miller and Austin Loucks.

One Shot Wonder Award

Awarded annually to one player who has the best stroke of anybody on the team, but is still on the JV. Despite his work last tennis season, after just deciding to play the night before practice started, Evan Grimes is the recipient of this wonderful award for having the best volley on the team, but practicing that skill only at #1 and #2 doubles JV.

Evan's skills have grown fantastically since last year. But he has not yet perfected all areas of his game. His serve lacks consistency and so does his backhand, but when he is at the net, he has the quickness and tenacity to put balls away no matter how hard they are hit. You just know Evan is going to be a dominating doubles player, it's just a matter of when.

What makes his volley so fantastic is actually his feet. He is quick enough to move into proper striking position while the ball is still in the air. And if he doesn't have enough time, his reflexes still give him a chance to get the ball back. My favorite JV points of the season often came in his matches, where I would turn my head and look at Andrew, and we would simply raise our eyebrows wondering how good he could become. Hopefully we will see. Potential is just potential until someone puts in the hard work to make it a reality.

The Gregor Award

"The Gregor" is a very prestigious award, given annually to the person who can make others smile with their simple style and outrageous stories. This year, there can be no doubt, there was one person with a story for every occasion (especially on night out, on camera, in a high pitched voice... often repeating himself).

Yes, this year's winner of "The Gregor" is Ike Lehman.

Much like the original Gregor, Ike inspired laughter wherever he went. People simply stood in awe of his cuteness most of the season, commenting that everything from his smile to his tennis strokes to his passing of gas as being cute. Even when he banged on the window of Austin's van while riding on the hood and going through a car wash on a 40 degree night with his shirt off, banging with sheer terror in his eyes, he was described as cute.

Though the original Gregor did not share in Ike's itty-bitty cuteness, they do share the penchant for weaving quite a tale. Listening to the video that Ike's group made from "Night Out" is to have a constant commentary of literary brilliance from Ike. His mind is always making each new experience into a positively hilarious memory.

I wonder what tales he will tell of winning this award. I bet they will be cute.

Most Deserving of Bleeding Bruin Blue Athlete of the Week Without Winning the Bleeding Bruin Blue Athlete of the Week Award

So Seth had an incredible season, but much like last year, I feel like it went unnoticed by many. Last year, Seth dominated #2 singles JV, finishing undefeated. But that was lost in the celebration of the school's first Sectional and the JV team's own undefeated record. This year, Seth had the best season of a varsity newcomer ever, finishing 16-4, and splitting that time between #1 singles and #2 singles varsity.

Wait, Seth jumped up a whole team (from #2 JV to #2 varsity), and still ended up winning 80% of his matches? YES!

And yet, Seth was never in the running for the prestigious Bleeding Bruin Blue Athlete of the Week. There was a 3 week period in late August that Seth never lost. There was a weekend of playing #1S against teams with 8-3, 9-2, and 13-1 records respectively (Taylor, Wabash, Eastern) in which Seth did not lose. Or there was the week where he defeated the winning NLC conference #2 singles player, Bryce Scott of Warsaw.

The thing about Seth and his amazing season is that he proved me right. I said that we would be rewarded for our hard work, and Seth put in a lot of hard work. Playing many mornings in the gym last summer, taking lessons in both the fall and winter. Working out with me every morning of the summer until he left for Oregon. And he was rewarded with great play. That is what it takes to make the step up to the varsity with style.

Congratulations to Seth on the first award of the "Award Season." Come back tomorrow for the next award, it may be you!