Goucher Men’s Tennis Claims First Conference Win of 2011

With the Drew University match loss in the past (although certainly not the strong, supportive efforts from the team), we knew that against the United States Merchant Marine Academy match, things would have to be different. It’d need to end in victory.

That’s just what happened.

After a 2-1 setback in doubles, but a good effort in the top two matches, things looked shaky for the Gophers. In the end, however, the team proved stronger in singles competition, dominating in five of six matches. We won 6-3.

Still sidelined, but getting ready to play soon, I continued my work charting my teammates, trying to find trends to help improve their games. Are too many backhands floating long? How about forehand volley errors? What’s the first serve percentage? Is everyone moving their feet? Those were just some of the thoughts flying through my head as the match progressed, and as I watched on with pen and paper.

I’ve come to see this opportunity as a mixed blessing. Sure, I want to play and compete for Goucher College, but there’s something more to charting that I didn’t quite appreciate at first. As I begin my career in tennis journalism these next few weeks, working for Billie Jean King’s World Team Tennis and at the Western & Southern Financial Open in Cincinnati this August, I’ve realized a couple things. Not only does a journalist need to be passionate about what it is they’re writing about, they also need a commitment to detail. Only through careful reflection on the sport and a meticulous ability to collect facts can the writing truly succeed. While I can play tennis all I want, assuming my shoulder doesn’t give out or I get owned by another tennis ball to the head, there also needs to be skill in watching the sport.

As ridiculous as it may at first seem, charting matches and calculating statistics fulfills this.

Only by focusing on a match and really watching it can one appreciate the atmosphere of the courts and the intensity of the athletes. There’s the aesthetics, too, such as the finesse, the power and the shot-making. With these observations, the writing comes alive.

As the team clinched the match in exhilarating fashion, claiming singles points in three sets at number three and six, I understood a commonality and parallel between our success and my career goals. I knew things were looking up not only for my tennis team, but also for my writing.

That’s a good feeling on both counts.

For more on the win over Merchant Marine, see here.

The Supportive Spirit of Goucher College’s Tennis Teams

A member of Goucher College’s Division III Men’s Varsity Tennis team, I traveled to New Jersey to support my fellow Gophers in our Landmark Conference match against New Jersey’s Drew University. Sidelined with injury, I haven’t been able to compete for the past two weeks. If anything, however, it’s made me appreciate the sport  and the members of my team — both the men and women — even more.

Arriving at the courts on a chilly day of around 40 degrees, we were instantly met with a problem: a severe lack of courts. With snow hitting the state hard just days before, ice made a number of them simply too dangerous to play on.

Being representatives of Goucher College, however, we didn’t let this predicament stop us. Grabbing shovels and squeegees, we got to work on the ice, attempting to chip enough away just to get more of an area with which to play.

In the end, it didn’t quite work. Regardless, the sense of duty to help, led by the teams’ coaches, rings true. It illustrates  just some of the spirit of my school’s team even before the first ball of competitive play was actually struck.

A solution, of course, was found. Drew has a field house in which two makeshift courts were made available to get the match started. A strange atmosphere, our players quickly got used to the conditions quickly. They seemed unfazed with the alien surface, and it was fun simply getting the chance to watch as the guys and, later, the women, brought their games to the indoor track turf courts complete with nearby basketball hoops.

With the task of charting, I gained a focused, unwavering connection with each match and the person playing. There’s no room for error when you’re trying your best to tally each point: the serves, the unforced errors, the winners, and, yes, even the framers. You become so in-tune with the athlete, hoping to support them, while also remaining objective in the aim to get each point correctly marked down.

Despite loss against Drew, the conference champions for the last four years, the men’s team put up a strong effort and a good fight.

Winning or losing, it’s the team support that really makes me proud to be a Division III student-athlete and, specifically, a Gopher. You look around and everyone’s intent on cheering on their teammates. Maybe not always the case, we’ve made great strides. Support is in abundance now. With alumni, parents, brothers, sisters and friends in attendance, the Goucher community remained strong,despite miles away from Maryland. It’s heartwarming to say the least.

As the matches progressed, I couldn’t help but notice members of the opposing teams filing out in sporadic intervals. “For what purpose?” I asked myself. Other engagements? Homework? Nonchalance? Whatever the reason, that’s not acceptable for a Goucher athlete. Instead, you’re not just encouraged, but rather expected to remain to support your teammates. Why wouldn’t you? We spend months of training and bonding with one another for this one purpose: to play our hearts out as a team and grow stronger both individually and collectively. The least we can do is stay and offer encouragement as our brothers and sisters take to the courts and show their commitment to excellence.

The repayment can be a wonderful thing, too. With almost everyone watching, the women’s team clinched a crucial point at number three singles. With the sense of community and the intense spirit  and desire, the women earned another conference win, knocking out the defending champions in the process. With love like that, who’s to say there’s not a return to the championships in the making?

With a job well done on both sides, we packed up in the night’s crisp darkness, excited for a feast, a birthday celebration and a return to our home away from home: Goucher College.