It was good to see everyone tonight. A lot of familiar faces and several new ones. I am super excited to get into boys season. We have the ability on our boys team to win Region 3-AAAA this year. I hope I have motivated you all to get to work preparing over the holiday break.
I provided my cell phone number & email address. I want all players to have my number. If an emergency comes up, I want them to contact me as soon as possible if it affects their attendance of tennis stuff.
I also introduced Betsy Creech to the boys. Betsy played #3 for the girls team and is looking to work more year round on her game. She will be helping out with scorekeeping stuff for me during practice and matches and also will be participating in drills and practice matches to improve her game this spring.
Eligibility: This is a 3 part process. 1) Grades, 2) Physical, 3) Birth Certificate. See your guidance counselor if you have any doubts about your academic eligibility. The physical form was available at the meeting tonight, but can be accessed at northwesterntrojans.org under the "files" section. If you haven't turned a physical form in to the Northwestern Athletic Office since May 2009, a new one is required. A copy of a birth certificate is required to be on file. If you have played a sport at Northwestern, we have it. If this is your first season, turn in a copy along with the physical. If a physical or birth certificate copy is not received in the athletic office by February 1, you will not be able to participate this season.
Try Outs: This will be a 5-day process starting Monday February 1, 2010. We will try out Mon-Thur only, so if weather cooperates we should have our initial varsity team decided by Monday February 8. These sessions will be 3 hours long from 4:00pm-7:00pm.
To try out, you will need to be at all 5 days to compete in a continuous round robin. A varsity team of 9-10 players will be selected at the end of these 5 days. Players not on varsity will continue to play daily round robins all season. If a player is able to stay at the top of the round robin groups for several consecutive days, he will probably get a chance to challenge for a spot on the varsity team. Once a player is on varsity, they will stay on varsity. I am hoping to have 12-13 varsity players by the end of the season.
Practice: Once the try out process is decided, practice will be from 4pm-6pm Mon-Thu. Practice is mandatory for all players and very few exceptions will be made. I am looking for a commitment from the boys for 8 hours per week in the preseason and some more time once matches start. If you cannot commit to this, the season will probably not be successful for you or the team.
If a varsity player misses practice, they will forfeit any challenge match they were involved in and sit out the next match. If a second practice is missed, the player will sit out the next two matches. Additional misses will likely result in dismissal from the team. Being late to practice will be treated as a missed practice, but if a player is late they can still defend their position in a challenge match, but match penalty will still happen.
If a non-varsity player misses practice, they will forfeit all challenge opportunities that day. After 3 misses, that player will likely be dismissed from the team. I really hope that these scenarios do not take place. I do take attendance very seriously and believe that hard work at practice makes the difference in how good we perform in matches.
Matches: We will play approxiamately 14 regular season matches plus 1 or 2 pre-season scrimmages. We are also co-hosting a tournament on March 19 & 20 with South Pointe HS that will involve 8 schools from all over the state. I will likely have our varsity match schedule complete in January, if not sooner. Matches are typically on Tuesday & Thursdays at 5:00, but some will fall on a Monday or Wednesday. The season runs from early March until early May.
Rules: I will be having players & parents sign and agree to rules at try outs. Most of them will be simple - show up on time, work hard, and have a good attitude. However, some of them will be different than other sports. One, we will be wearing practice tee-shirts and look like a team at practice this year as all the quality teams at school do. Second, all players must wear tennis court specific shoes any time they are at practice or in a match. Third, varsity players must wear ALL BLACK shorts for matches. Shorts will be available for purchase when we do a team order the first week of February.
Shoes / Uniforms: Prices for shoes have been quoted previously and I posted them again tonight. Nike Air Ballistic 1.3's are $85, Nike Air Ballistic 1.2's are $60, and Nike Air Court del Mar's are $52. The Ballistic's are very durable and will hold up for an entire season. The del Mar's are a good shoe, but less durable and may wear out near the end of season. If a player needs shoes and wants to take advantage of our 35% discount on Nike, they will need to take a check or cash to the athletic office and give it to Rose Baker, the athletic secretary. I will be placing the order Friday afternoon so they will hopefully arrive before school lets out. There will only be one order placed so if you need shoes and like Nike, take advantage of this.
Varsity uniforms will be the same as last year and varsity players will get 1 purple and 1 white jersey. I have ordered more smalls of each since they ran a little big last year.
We will also do a clothing order the first week of February to order sweats, tee-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts and shorts. I will require the players to order 3 t-shirts to wear at practice for $30. All other items will be optional, but tend to be popular for players and parents. I generally only do one order for the group so make sure you get everything that you want.
Questions: The only group question that was asked was more to point out the Tennis Center is putting together weekly clinics for the winter and spring. In the past, I have done conditioning in January before practice starts. I am not doing that this year. My expectation is that players will show up to day 1 of try outs in the best shape and at the top of their tennis ability. I would like the boys to be practicing tennis all December & January on their own. They will need to be ready to play 3 hours of tennis for 5 straight days at the highest level to which they are capable.
Call or email if you have questions.
Go Trojans!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Girls Tennis Banquet
Thank you to all the parents, players, and school administrators for attending our end of the year banquet. A special thanks to Mr & Mrs Cox for organizing the event in an ideal venue at St John's United Methodist Church.
We began the evening with a wonderful blessing courtesy of Mr Faulkner before a feast fit for our queens of the court. The families of Northwestern tennis again did a top notch job in preparing our pot luck dinner. The awards presentations began after dinner.
I first off thanked Coach Warren and the Trojan Club for all the support of the tennis programs at Northwestern. We are truly lucky to have such a wonderful athletic director who does a lot of things behind the scenes that don't get recognized. He also gives me a lot of flexibility in running the program the way I want to and is supportive of us in every aspect.
I also thanked Dr & Mrs Edwards for assisting the program with our new court numbers this year. Dr Edwards and I spent a couple hours putting them up around the courts back in September and they truly add a touch of class to our facility.
I also thanked the Surgical Specialists of the Carolinas as well as Rock Hill Radiology Associates for their support in providing us with financial contributions that made our new windscreen purchase possible. I believe that we have the finest tennis facility in the state of any program that has school courts. Without the financial assistance of these two companies, this purchase would not have been possible. If you run into Dr Schroeder or Dr Leonard, please thank them. But also, the funds from football concessions over the past two seasons was a huge asset as well so thank you to the parents who helped out back in September.
Our first player awards went to our non-letter winning players this year. This group allowed our team to have tremendous depth this year. Good teams in any sports have depth and it is my belief that this depth will allow us to be successful for many years to come. Congratulations and thank you to the following young ladies:
- Natalie Hageman
- Hannah Cramer
- Emily Cramer
- Randi Honeycutt
- Karlee Fox
- Caroline Herron
- Alexis Peddy
- Olivia Huckabee
Letters were then presented to the players who contributed to the varsity team this year in matches. This group's results on the court representing our team resulted in a team that again qualified to the state tournament in 4A girls tennis:
- Chandler Green (3rd Letter)
- Maggie Orr (3rd Letter)
- Betsy Creech (3rd Letter)
- Courtney Cox (2nd Letter)
- Lauren Cox (1st Letter)
- Emily Edwards (1st Letter)
- Hillary Tindall (2nd Letter & Captain Pin)
- MC Faulkner (1st Letter & Captain Pin)
- Erin Brooks (1st Letter)
- Mia Barber (Manager pin)
Individual awards were then presented to the girls as voted for by their teammates.
Most Valuable Player - The player who the girls felt was most valuable to our team on and off the court. This player made the biggest impact to our team during matches, on the sidelines, and in practice: Chandler Green
Most Improved Player - The player the girls felt made the biggest improvement in their game. The players could vote for who improved the most from the beginning of the year to the end or from last season to this season: MC Faulkner
Best Practice Player - The player who worked the hardest each day in practice. This player not only worked hard themself, but worked to make others around them better: Hillary Tindall
Coach's Award - I hand out an annual award to a player who is coachable in all aspects of the game. This player sets a great example to their teammates not purely by their ability, but mostly by their work ethic and willingness to learn. This is a player who makes every effort to execute strategies in their matches and learns from both their successes and failures to improve themself: Lauren Cox
I will certainly miss our seniors as they move on to their next great challenges in life. It has certainly been a privilege to get to know each of you. I do make a promise to my seniors that I will always be available to you if you need any further assistance in life, being letters of recommendation, networking, or any other advice I can provide. Most of all, I hope you stay in touch with the program and remain assets to us after your graduation.
For our returning fourteen girls, our future is bright at Northwestern. I encourage any of you that know of athletic 7th, 8th, or 9th graders to encourage them to learn the game of tennis. We have a strong core of sophomores that will be juniors returning next year along with one senior. The program needs talented younger players that are willing to take the time and put in the work that it takes to become a good tennis player. Please look to share your experiences with younger student athletes that can fill this role for us in the future.
I also mentioned what I expect as far as off season tennis work for our returning players. A pro player that I met over the past few weeks told me that she believes that the difference in a tennis match between two equal players playing at a high level will be decided by three factors:
1) Fitness
2) Quickness
3) Mental Toughness
In a nutshell, a good tennis player must be a great athlete. Take pride in becoming athletic and continue to work out with agility drills, jump rope, and quick sprints. Get some 1-2 mile runs incorporated into your workout as well. The player in better physical shape has an advantage
Mental toughness, in my opinion, is the ability to feel comfortable in seemingly uncomfortable situations on the court. I think the only way to get mentally tough is by continuing to put yourself in competitive situations. Whether you are in a league or travel to play in tournaments, match-play experience is crucial. If you play more matches, you will become more comfortable in match situations. Morgan Chumney from Fort Mill has played 85 (50-35) tournament matches over the past 12 months. It shouldn't be a surprise that she stays cool and calm on the court.
Also, in practicing during the off season I think that you should set a goal of the following:
1) Work with an instructor once per week, whether in a clinic or private lesson
2) Play a practice match against someone near your ability level
3) Play a practice match against someone slightly below your ability level
4) Compete in one tournament per month, or junior tennis leagues in the spring and summer
I am moving into the boy's season for the spring. I would like to see girls come out to participate in the boy's varsity practices. However, I do ask that if you plan to come practice with the guys, that you have a goal for practicing with us. If you are practicing for an upcoming tournament, let me know and you will have priority over girls that just want to practice for fun. Call, text, or email me before you come out so I can confirm we have 3 or less girls at a boy's practice (off-season maximum).
Good season Lady Trojans!
(L to R: Chandler Green - Most Valuable; MC Faulkner - Most Improved; Hillary Tindall - Best Practice Player; Lauren Cox - Coach's Award)
We began the evening with a wonderful blessing courtesy of Mr Faulkner before a feast fit for our queens of the court. The families of Northwestern tennis again did a top notch job in preparing our pot luck dinner. The awards presentations began after dinner.
I first off thanked Coach Warren and the Trojan Club for all the support of the tennis programs at Northwestern. We are truly lucky to have such a wonderful athletic director who does a lot of things behind the scenes that don't get recognized. He also gives me a lot of flexibility in running the program the way I want to and is supportive of us in every aspect.
I also thanked Dr & Mrs Edwards for assisting the program with our new court numbers this year. Dr Edwards and I spent a couple hours putting them up around the courts back in September and they truly add a touch of class to our facility.
I also thanked the Surgical Specialists of the Carolinas as well as Rock Hill Radiology Associates for their support in providing us with financial contributions that made our new windscreen purchase possible. I believe that we have the finest tennis facility in the state of any program that has school courts. Without the financial assistance of these two companies, this purchase would not have been possible. If you run into Dr Schroeder or Dr Leonard, please thank them. But also, the funds from football concessions over the past two seasons was a huge asset as well so thank you to the parents who helped out back in September.
Our first player awards went to our non-letter winning players this year. This group allowed our team to have tremendous depth this year. Good teams in any sports have depth and it is my belief that this depth will allow us to be successful for many years to come. Congratulations and thank you to the following young ladies:
- Natalie Hageman
- Hannah Cramer
- Emily Cramer
- Randi Honeycutt
- Karlee Fox
- Caroline Herron
- Alexis Peddy
- Olivia Huckabee
Letters were then presented to the players who contributed to the varsity team this year in matches. This group's results on the court representing our team resulted in a team that again qualified to the state tournament in 4A girls tennis:
- Chandler Green (3rd Letter)
- Maggie Orr (3rd Letter)
- Betsy Creech (3rd Letter)
- Courtney Cox (2nd Letter)
- Lauren Cox (1st Letter)
- Emily Edwards (1st Letter)
- Hillary Tindall (2nd Letter & Captain Pin)
- MC Faulkner (1st Letter & Captain Pin)
- Erin Brooks (1st Letter)
- Mia Barber (Manager pin)
Individual awards were then presented to the girls as voted for by their teammates.
Most Valuable Player - The player who the girls felt was most valuable to our team on and off the court. This player made the biggest impact to our team during matches, on the sidelines, and in practice: Chandler Green
Most Improved Player - The player the girls felt made the biggest improvement in their game. The players could vote for who improved the most from the beginning of the year to the end or from last season to this season: MC Faulkner
Best Practice Player - The player who worked the hardest each day in practice. This player not only worked hard themself, but worked to make others around them better: Hillary Tindall
Coach's Award - I hand out an annual award to a player who is coachable in all aspects of the game. This player sets a great example to their teammates not purely by their ability, but mostly by their work ethic and willingness to learn. This is a player who makes every effort to execute strategies in their matches and learns from both their successes and failures to improve themself: Lauren Cox
I will certainly miss our seniors as they move on to their next great challenges in life. It has certainly been a privilege to get to know each of you. I do make a promise to my seniors that I will always be available to you if you need any further assistance in life, being letters of recommendation, networking, or any other advice I can provide. Most of all, I hope you stay in touch with the program and remain assets to us after your graduation.
For our returning fourteen girls, our future is bright at Northwestern. I encourage any of you that know of athletic 7th, 8th, or 9th graders to encourage them to learn the game of tennis. We have a strong core of sophomores that will be juniors returning next year along with one senior. The program needs talented younger players that are willing to take the time and put in the work that it takes to become a good tennis player. Please look to share your experiences with younger student athletes that can fill this role for us in the future.
I also mentioned what I expect as far as off season tennis work for our returning players. A pro player that I met over the past few weeks told me that she believes that the difference in a tennis match between two equal players playing at a high level will be decided by three factors:
1) Fitness
2) Quickness
3) Mental Toughness
In a nutshell, a good tennis player must be a great athlete. Take pride in becoming athletic and continue to work out with agility drills, jump rope, and quick sprints. Get some 1-2 mile runs incorporated into your workout as well. The player in better physical shape has an advantage
Mental toughness, in my opinion, is the ability to feel comfortable in seemingly uncomfortable situations on the court. I think the only way to get mentally tough is by continuing to put yourself in competitive situations. Whether you are in a league or travel to play in tournaments, match-play experience is crucial. If you play more matches, you will become more comfortable in match situations. Morgan Chumney from Fort Mill has played 85 (50-35) tournament matches over the past 12 months. It shouldn't be a surprise that she stays cool and calm on the court.
Also, in practicing during the off season I think that you should set a goal of the following:
1) Work with an instructor once per week, whether in a clinic or private lesson
2) Play a practice match against someone near your ability level
3) Play a practice match against someone slightly below your ability level
4) Compete in one tournament per month, or junior tennis leagues in the spring and summer
I am moving into the boy's season for the spring. I would like to see girls come out to participate in the boy's varsity practices. However, I do ask that if you plan to come practice with the guys, that you have a goal for practicing with us. If you are practicing for an upcoming tournament, let me know and you will have priority over girls that just want to practice for fun. Call, text, or email me before you come out so I can confirm we have 3 or less girls at a boy's practice (off-season maximum).
Good season Lady Trojans!
(L to R: Chandler Green - Most Valuable; MC Faulkner - Most Improved; Hillary Tindall - Best Practice Player; Lauren Cox - Coach's Award)
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