Sheer and Savage Players: Edition 1

New series again for the month of July, highlighting players who played with sheer and savage joy. For these posts, I'll be choosing players who were teammates that gave the team the balance of sheer and savage joy. Each post begins with a definition, then proceeds to tell the stories of joy!

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“There is a point in tennis, when I thrust aside as irrelevant all thoughts of point and games and sets, 

and am absorbed instead in the sheer and savage delight of swinging at a moving target.”

- Mark Rowlands, Tennis with Plato

Sheer
adjective
1. unmixed with anything else
2. unqualified, utter
Synonyms: mere, simple, pure, unadulterated

Savage
adjective
1. fierce, ferocious, untamed
2. unpolished
3. wild and rugged
Synonyms: wild

Joy
noun
1. a state of happiness
2. a foretaste of all things made right
Synonyms: rapture, bliss, delight

SHEER JOY: Michael Steury

SAVAGE JOY: Joel King

RESULT: Turned the program around.

Michael and Joel were the perfect, if unlikely, pair to turn a struggling program into a thriving one. First of all, they enjoyed one another's company. They were the beginning of bringing brotherhood to the Bethany program. But their backgrounds were very different in tennis, and were important in bringing balance to the program as well.

Joel was a competitor. A basketball player, a baseball pitcher, he played a sport every season and captained all of the teams. He often said that practice was his favorite part of any season, because it was the only part where he didn't get any break at all. Which he enjoyed.

On the tennis court, he was a screamer. He had played varsity his freshman year, competing at #1 doubles. I don't know how well he did, I don't have records from that season. But when I took over as coach beginning his sophomore season, it was obvious that he was going to compete for the #1 singles spot. He had athleticism and talent.

I have several favorite match memories of Joel. The first was at Triton during his sophomore season. He was playing #2 singles and the team match was tied 2-2 as he went into a third set. With that pressure, Joel fell behind 2-5 in the third set. His opponent needed only 4 more points to seal a team win for the Trojans. I told him to build some positive emotion, and in the next game the trademark "C'mon!" was born. After every point he won, he clenched his fist and yelled toward his teammates gathered by the fence. With this untamed emotion, Joel's game picked up and he overwhelmed his opponent, winning the next 5 games straight to seal a remarkable team victory.

Just as intense was his anger at me that first year when we played Fort Wayne Canterbury. Our #1 player, Colin Yoder, also played soccer and had a game that night. I told him to go to the soccer game because we'd probably lose to Canterbury anyways. Canterbury, by the way, is usually state ranked. Joel was so upset that I was accepting loss, that as he moved up a position to #1 singles, he still pushed his Canterbury opponent in a 5-7, 4-6 loss.

Or when in his senior season, he played his home school district of Concord and had an opportunity to win his match at #1 singles. Cramping in the third set, I told him that one more cramp and I had to call the match. So he made it through the rest of the match and won! Afterwards, I told him that I was glad he hadn't cramped again. He told me, "Matt, I was cramping every two points but I told myself to turn away from you and not scream, not fall down, so that you would let me finish." That is a savage, competitive player!

In contrast to Michael Steury, who didn't start his journey on the team as a supreme competitor. Instead, he had become friends during his freshman year with guys on the team and decided to try it sophomore year. On our team of 13, he was #12 his freshman year. But he loved the game. That Spring Break I remember that we both went to Sarasota to visit our grandparents, and he invited me over to play tennis just because it was fun.

As he played, he got better. A lot better. By junior year, he was playing varsity. From beginner to varsity in one season isn't bad. In a down season, he was one of only two lineup spots to end the year with a winning record. And then senior season, he nailed down the #1 doubles spot. And he became a joyful leader of the team as well.

He led team cheers, screamed encouragements during team games like Defenders and Two Ball, and lived for the glorious times when he could use his strengths. His face would light up when it was his turn to serve, or if someone popped up a lob and he was under it for the smash.

In his last match of his career, we had drawn Jimtown at Sectional. Jimtown had a doubles team, twin brothers, who would qualify for the doubles state finals. And we played them first round. Michael smiled and said, let's do it. With fist pumps and pumped up serves, Michael and partner Jordan Kauffman shocked the twins in the first set, taking a 7-5 set win. And although they couldn't hold it, it was that sheer joy that led them through the attempt.

These guys were the first of many models of sheer and savage tennis for Bethany Christian. Their teammates could look at them for competitive models and I've been pointing to their attitudes for years since. I often say that their leadership helped lay the foundation for our Sectional title three years after they graduated. They played loose, they played hard, they played sheer and savage tennis.

Catching Up on Friday

Catching Up With...What Jonny Shenk and Joel King Have in Common

Tennis, as it is played in the Indiana high school ranks, consists of two different elements going on simultaneously. It contains both the individual aspect and the team dynamic at the same time. You are individually matched up against an opponent, and you are trying to defeat them without the help of teammates (or just one teammate if it's doubles). However, your result with then either help or hinder your team in winning the match as a squad. It's a great system that can lead to some of the most intense finishes in any sport. Like when the two aspects combine and a team match that is tied at 2-2 comes down to an individual match that is going into it's third set.

Anyways, because these two elements exist within tennis, there are players who excel at each when the pressure is on. Some players excel at winning their own individual matches when they get intense and drag on into tiebreakers and third sets. Then there are other who provide their clutch performances when the team needs them most.

Today, I want to look at two players specifically (and some statistics) who exemplify these molds: Jonny Shenk and Joel King. They are both some of the best examples of clutch players throughout Bethany history, but in different areas.

Jonny has been clutch when it comes to an individual matches. He never wanted to back down from any opponent, and as any of his matches stretched on, you always had a feeling that he was going to be able to pull it out. The statistics back up this observation, a quick look at the varsity record book shows that Jonny is tops in third sets won, and then third in highest percentage of third sets won and tiebreakers won as well. Jonny's record of 8 third sets won is particularly amazing, considering that he racked up these victories in only two years of playing varsity.

In individual matches, those two circumstances put the most pressure on a player, 3rd sets and tiebreakers. Some of my favorite Jonny Shenk memories come from playing in these difficult circumstances. One of my favorite Jonny Shenk matches was his first match as a varsity player, #3 singles against Northridge's Jeremy Runge. In that match he came out and shocked Runge, I think, winning the first set of the match in pretty comfortable fashion. Then in the second set Runge adjusted his game and took Jonny out of his rhythm by making him come to the net. In the third set, Jonny made sure to make the correct strategical choices, choosing to retrieve short balls and then retreat to the baseline, making the game about stamina and consistency. His choices paid off, and he cruised through the third set to victory.

Individual players who can come through in the clutch can learn from Jonny's attitude in that match. Many players would panic when the match turned, because Jonny had won one set easily then lost a close second set. But instead of getting frustrated he got smart. He was able to adjust and persevere, two important qualities of a clutch performer.

Obviously, there are others who have had clutch individual performances. I think of Jared Schwartzentruber and his third set record this year, and his ability to pull through came down to those same qualities, keeping himself mentally focus on what adjustments needed to be made and not panicking.

On the other hand, we have Joel King. I have joked from time to time about "the legend of Joel King," because I believe he is a rather important player in Bruin tennis history. He was an example to most of our seniors when they joined as freshman. So what did they watch him do? Perform his best when the team needed it.

Clutch performances when the team needs you come in somewhat different circumstances from individual. Clutch performances for the team is when the match is 3-2 and you were one of the winners. Or when the match is tied 2-2 or your team is down 1-2 and you have to have that match that is still on the court, yours.

Through his career, Joel was an amazing 8-0 in matches that ended 3-2, whether the team won or lost. When the match was going to come right down to one position, it seems that the team could always count on Joel to pull through in his match. This includes 3 matches that were tied at 2-2 and he pulled out the deciding point. The pressure in these type of matches can be immense. I think the biggest thing that is important in these matches is a true belief that you will win, a focusing on the positive, a getting mentally fired up for every point. Joel was a fiery player, but he also resisted the urge to get down on himself when things weren't going well. Instead he just dug in more in those situations.

Well, those are two players who have done well under pressure. But everyone has had their moment. Here are a list of 3rd set records and 3-2 match records for all varsity players under me.

Player-------------------------3rd Sets------3-2 matches
Ben Mast------------------------ 1-0 ------------ 1-0
Luke Hostetter ----------------- 6-4 ------------ 8-7
Jared Schwartzentruber -------- 6-2 ------------ 6-8
Jonny Shenk -------------------- 8-2 ------------ 5-6
Johnny Kauffman --------------- 2-6 ------------ 3-10
Jeremy Thomas ----------------- 1-3 ------------ 4-10
Daniel Buschert ----------------- 3-5 ------------ 8-2
Mikey Kelly --------------------- 3-3 ------------ 7-3
Matthew Amstutz --------------- 1-1 ------------ 0-0
Wes Klassen --------------------- 3-4 ------------ 3-3
Jordan Kauffman ---------------- 4-9 ------------ 7-3
Jordan Miller -------------------- 0-1 ------------ 2-1
Joel King ------------------------ 6-1 ------------ 8-0
Michael Steury ------------------ 3-6 ------------ 5-1
Mark Bauman ------------------- 0-0 ------------ 1-3
Alex Bullard --------------------- 0-2 ------------ 1-4
Joe Friesen ---------------------- 0-1 ------------ 2-4
Ben Shenk ----------------------- 2-2 ------------ 1-3
Casey Diener -------------------- 0-1 ------------ 0-2
Seth Troyer --------------------- 0-4 ------------ 2-2
Evan Stahley -------------------- 0-2 ------------ 1-1
Colin Yoder ---------------------- 2-0 ------------ 1-1
Jordan Mumaw ------------------ 0-2 ------------ 1-1

Monday Morning Match Memories

MMMM #3: Bethany Christian vs. Fairfield, 2004

Well, a new year and its time for another Joel King story. Instead of a Triton team victory, this match was a sparkle of light in a dreary year. In 2004, my Bruin team of mostly underclassmen slumped to their worst record, 6-11 (10-11 if you include Howe Military and the Laville Invitational). There were some bad losses in the year, including falling to Fremont (1-4), Lakeland (2-3), Rochester (2-3), and others. This of infamous meltdowns, but those are a worse memory for a grayer day.

The one constant throughout this season was Joel King. He could almost always be counted on to get us one point. So entering this match against Fairfield, I wasn't real hopeful for a team victory, but I did want Joel to prove his worth against a very difficult opponent. So we took to the old Bethany courts, lined with cracks and colored old school red and green, to see if Joel could pull out what would be considered an upset.

The match started out well enough for Joel. Both he and Stutzman played similar styles. They hustled like crazy and had solid groundstrokes, but weren't going to overpower each other. This made for a long match filled with patient points. In much the style of a modern Luke Hostetter drama, many of the other matches were finishing as Joel and Marc neared the end of their first set. It had been a back and forth time, with Joel finally taking the 5-4 lead and serving for the set.

Joel played his way to a good situation in the final game, battling through several long points without tensing up and without becoming too defensive. But with a set point at hand, 40-15, his nerve cracked a bit and he began to aim and place the ball. Stutzman took advantage of this and attacked, winning the point and bringing the game score to 40-30. Joel took his first serve on the next game point and hit the most incredibly lucky shot I've seen yet.

These were the courts of old, and right in the middle of the service box of the number one singles court was a crack. It wasn't huge, but it was large enough to make the ball hop or change direction a bit. It didn't usually come into play because it wasn't near the back of the service box, therefore someone would have to have major topspin or a dinky serve to hit it. Well, in his tension Joel hadn't hit one of his boomers, and his serve caught the crack. And it didn't bounce at all. It rolled straight back to Stutzman where he tried to scrape the ball off the ground and fling it over.

I had been looking right at the point, and was prepared to offer a do-over. But Coach Filbrun had been watching as well. "Play the cracks," he said to the dismay of his number one player. And so Joel took the first set 6-4 on the flukiest shot I've ever been witness to.

The second set continued the same theme, as far as competiveness is concerned. Stutzman continued to be aggressive when able, and the match teeter-tottered back and forth with every game. Joel was also a master of smaggression, and so he worked Stutzman with long rallies on every point. The other matches all finished up and left us just watching Joel, fighting for our one and only point from the match. As the second set drew to a dramatic close, darkness was becoming an issue. Someone suggested shining car lights on the court, but we knew from our first midnight practice that car lights on the court just got in your eyes and made it harder to see. The tiebreak started with both players straining for light. It the dusk, in another stroke of luck, it was Stutzman who played the cracks well, bouncing one sideways to take a 6-3 lead in the tiebreak. He then closed out the set, leaving us split sets and no idea how to finish without lights.

So load up the buses, the match is moving to Goshen College. Joel and Marc road along with teammates and parents and the whole throng moved a mile down State Road 15 to watch the fascinating finish. It didn't disappoint.

Predictably, the momentum that Stutzman had grabbed by winning the second set was drained by the move to the college. So without momentum playing a factor, the match settled back into its back and forth rhythm. Towards the end of the match, Joel began to pick up the momentum finally. Under the lights, Joel was able to seal the third set, 6-4, and continue to build the legend that is Joel King's legacy to the Bethany program.

Sometime, in another post, I want to explore that legacy of Joel King. It has been foundational to what we've built as far as the current Bethany Christian tennis system. And I'd also like to look at what it looks like mentally to always be coming back and winning big matches and succeeding in pressure spots. We've had others cut out of the same mold, but Joel kind of launched that attitude in Bruin tennis. This was just another of his epic victories. Here is my way of "enshrining"
it for all of you.

FINAL SCORE: Joel King defeats Marc Stutzman, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4

Joel King

2005
Position: #1 Singles

vs. Blake Sandberg (11), Northridge ----- 0-6, 2-6 ----- Loss
vs. Austin Conrad (10), Concord ----- 5-7, 6-2, 10-6 ----- Win
vs. Jaren Vest (12), Jimtown ----- 5-7, 5-7 ----- Loss
vs. Carson Vandenbossche (12), Rochester ----- 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 ----- Win
vs. Clinton Leazenby (12), Mishawaka ----- 6-4, 6-2 ----- Win
vs. Dustin McHenry (11), Fremont ----- 6-3, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Andy Schemm (??), Churubusco ----- 6-0, 6-1 ----- Win
vs. Lance Huth (12), Lakeland ----- 6-0, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Alek Schafer (12), LaVille ----- 6-1, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Zach Arnold (12), Prairie Heights ----- 6-2, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Julian Ravenscroft (12), Triton ----- 6-1, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Andy Schemm (??), Churubusco ----- 6-0, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Thom Kurtz (11), Northwood ----- 6-2, 6-3 ----- Win
vs. SB Washington ----- 6-0, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Alek Schafer (12), LaVille ----- 6-1, 6-1 ----- Win
vs. Marc Stutzman (12), Fairfield ----- 4-6, 1-6 ----- Loss
vs. Joe Rallo (10), Bremen ----- 6-2, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. James Makula (12), Tippecanoe Valley ----- 6-0, 6-2 ----- Win
vs. Jaren Vest (12), Jimtown ----- Loss

FINAL 2005 RECORD: 15-4

2004
Position: #1 Singles

vs. Andy Dowell (12), Northridge ----- 1-6, 0-6 ----- Loss
vs. Josh Moore (12), Concord ----- 3-6, 3-6 ----- Loss
vs. Richi Notz (12), Rochester ----- 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 ----- Win
vs. Jaren Vest (11), Jimtown ----- 0-6, 1-2 ----- Loss
vs. Korey Phelps (12), Mishawaka ----- 6-2, 6-3 ----- Win
vs. Brent Wertz (12), Fremont ----- 3-6, 4-6 ----- Loss
vs. Andy Schemm (10), Churubusco ----- 6-0, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Aaron Winans (12), Lakeland ----- 6-2, 6-3 ----- Win
vs. Brad Miller (12), LaVille ----- 6-0, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Zach Hollsinger (12), Prairie Heights ----- 6-1, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Kyle Whiteman (11), Triton ----- 6-0, 6-2 ----- Win
vs. Andrew Zolman (12), Churubusco ----- 6-0, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Heath Ehret (12), Northwood ----- 6-3, 6-3 ----- Win
vs. Brad Miller (12), LaVille ----- 6-1, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. MC Marquette ----- 6-1, 6-2 ----- Win
vs. Marc Stutzman (11), Fairfield ----- 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3 ----- Win
vs. Josh Kiefer (12), Bremen ----- 2-6, 1-6 ----- Loss
vs. Keith Kindig (12), Tippecanoe Valley ----- 6-1, 6-2 ----- Win
vs. Jaren Vest (11), Jimtown ----- 0-6, 0-6 ----- Loss

FINAL 2004 RECORD: 13-6

2003
Position: #2 Singles

vs. Jeremy Clarke (11), Northridge ----- 0-6, 1-6 ----- Loss
vs. Josh Hellman (12), Jimtown ----- 6-3, 7-5 ----- Win
vs. Jared Shriner (12), Concord ----- 1-6, 0-6 ----- Loss
vs. Carson Vandenbossche (10), Rochester ----- 7-5, 6-0 ---- Win
vs. Josh Farmer (12), Mishawaka ----- 7-5, 6-4 ----- Win
vs. Scott Hurley (??), FW Canterbury ----- 5-7, 4-6 ----- Loss
vs. Chad Terwilliger (12), Lakeland ----- 6-2, 6-2 ----- Win
vs. Zach Hollsinger (11), Prairie Heights ----- 6-0, 6-1 ----- Win
vs. Andrew Zollman (11), Churubusco ----- 6-0, 6-1 ----- Win
vs. Jordan Anglemeyer (12), Northwood ----- 6-2, 6-1 ----- Win
vs. Kevin Dunleavy (11), MC Marquette ----- 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 ----- Win
vs. Kevin Dunleavy (11), MC Marquette ----- 6-3, 6-0 ----- Win
vs. Chris Byers (12), LaVille ----- 6-2, 6-1 ----- Win
vs. Justin Klase (11), Fairfield ----- 5-7, 6-3, 2-6 ----- Loss
vs. Josh Hueni (12), Bremen ----- 2-6, 1-6 ----- Loss
vs. Kyle Whiteman (10), Triton ----- 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 ----- Win
vs. Demetrious Johnson (11)/Samil Ambani (11), Howe Military ----- 6-0, 6-2 ----- Win
vs. Tippecanoe Valley ----- Win
vs. Collin Stanley (11), Goshen ----- 2-6, 0-6 ----- Loss

FINAL 2003 RECORD: 13-6