What to Talk About?

Our first tennis match of the season was cancelled due to inclement weather. The snow from a few weeks earlier lingered around long enough to have us make this decision, which was highly disappointing for the Bridgewater tennis team.

The good news is that the snow on our tennis courts were miraculously cleared off by shovels. I would like to send a big thank you out to whoever cared enough about the tennis program and went that extra mile. Now it looks likely that we will play our HOME match against VA Wesleyan this SUNDAY. If I see another Spritz Nipper weather report, I will be unhappy.

Usually before home matches we will set up a team dinner. This will probably include both the guys and the girl’s team, and it is a great way to relax before a big match. The old team dinners, during the Smitty, Campbell era, opened my world up to the Galley on route 11. This place has enormous pastas and delicious Baklava. We kind of wore the Galley out for a while, and last year, we had decided to start going to the chain restaurants in Harrisonburg. We scheduled the team dinners at Chili’s, or the Texas Roadhouse. This year I might really be pushing for Rico’s Tacos and Sub Station. “Where is that?” you might be asking yourself. The old Waffle House on 11 with the creature flipping pancakes has been closed and along came the Sub Station. We will just have to see.

After the team dinner this weekend, the match will be Sunday. This is good because we will all have good nights of sleep. One problem I run into is on nights where I have a test and a tennis match. I stay up late for studying, and then I am so tired the next day that I cannot function. My reaction time becomes sub-par. I fixed this problem by crushing 5 hour energy shots before my matches, but this leads to anxiety attacks. Then I saw the key to my troubles in GNC when I was purchasing “get big” formula. Decaf 5 hour energies are being sold at a steal.

Practice, practice, and more practice is all that has been going on. But, our hard work will pay off come Sunday. Hope everyone can make it out there to the courts at 12.

Go Eagles…

Get ya’ popcorn ready

Snow, Snow, Go Away, BC Has Tennis Matches to Play!

The problem with winter sports is that - follow me closely here - they generally take place in winter.”—Dave Barry

“Our philosophy precedes from the belief that sport is an inalienable part of the educational process and a factor for promoting peace, friendship, cooperation and understanding among peoples.” —Juan Antonio Samaranch

Six days! Six days until our first tennis match of the spring 2010 season, unless of course we continue to have these weekly snow storms. We play next Tuesday at Ferrum which is in southern Virginia. I haven’t hit played tennis outside in about a month it seems, but with all of the conditioning that we have been doing indoors, I really feel strong and in shape when I do get the opportunity to actually play some tennis indoors. It hasn’t been the ideal situation, but I think that the conditioning will really pay off by keeping everyone healthy and preventing injuries once we start playing several matches a week.

I’m really excited for the matches to finally start. At some point, conditioning and playing against your own teammates gets repetitive and it is always nice to finally be able to put the hours of hard work to good use competing as a team against another team. I think that both the men’s and women’s teams are reaching that point of anticipation and excitement for the matches to start. Both teams have also been talking a lot about our spring break trip to South Carolina, an indicator that I am not the only person getting tired of old man winter! There really hasn’t been too much going on other than indoor practices and plenty of cold weather and snow. We all are looking forward to sunny skies and the warm weather that is perfect for tennis matches! Until next time...

See you on the (indoor) courts—Go Eagles!!!

Snow and New Uniforms

Our first match is closing in sooner than we think, but I believe that Bridgewater tennis is as ready as ever to start the season. We have not been getting outside to play as much considering the snow; however, we have made many trips to the indoor facility. You may be asking yourselves “Bridgewater has an indoor facility?” Thankfully, there are two tennis courts located behind quarrels and to the right of the cemetery. It is not much, but it more than most teams have.

One word to describe everyone’s feelings about the upcoming matches is eagerness. How will we stack up to the rest of the ODAC competition? Washington and Lee and Hampden Sydney were the top 2 teams last year, and mostly all of their players are returning. On top of this, many other teams have brought in some new guys without losing much of their starting line-up. Bridgewater tennis is eager to see how we do against this tough competition this year.

After a long day of conditioning last week we were rewarded with new shoes, jerseys, and warm ups. Coach went with the theme of Ketch-Up and Mustard colors for the warm-ups, which I am a big fan of. I don’t know what the rest will think. Hopefully our team van doesn’t get pulled over by the fashion police traveling to away matches.

Other than new uniforms and a great deal of conditioning, not too much has been happening on Tennis Island. But stay tuned…matches start February 23^rd and the 28^th is the first home match for the fans. It would be incredible if the fans that usually come to basketball games made that short trip out back to the courts for some tennis action. These fans could rest their weary, over-worked heads on the soft grass of Henman Hill and become a part of Bridgewater tennis.

Until next time,

Chris

And…

Don’t forget Dwight…Shaq is the real Man of Steel.

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

“Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”
--Dan Gable

We have just completed our first full week of practice for the Spring 2010 season. Because of the unusually wintry weather we have been having lately, our practices have mostly been indoors and have consisted of some hitting and a lot of conditioning! Twice a week we practice in the mornings before classes and I think that a lot of girls prefer this to midafternoon practice because it makes it easier to get homework done in the evenings. I always feel bittersweet about the first two weeks of season for any sport I have played because I am never ready to be incredibly stiff and sore for that length of time, but I am ready to get back into shape. Unfortunately, one can not happen without the other. It has been awesome being back at practice with the girls working hard but having fun so that definitely makes it worth it. One of this year’s rookies, Olivia Stone, told me, "it's been really great to start practice. I love being with all of my teammates; it makes practicing way more fun and seems to motivate me to work my hardest!" It’s great to see the freshman developing a good work ethic from the very get go as well as having fun at practice with her teammates. That is exactly what practice should be like for the girls and its very encouraging to me for the upcoming season.

The past two weeks have been really crazy for me. After completing interterm final papers and tests most of the girls got a much needed weekend off and a few went north to go skiing together! That weekend, instead of relaxing before the spring semester, I travelled to Mississippi State for my very first veterinary school interview and drove to Virginia Tech for a second interview. The travelling and stress of the interviews and applying to vet school along with the beginning of new classes (which always seems overwhelmingy) and the late nights watching the Australian Open created for a super busy week with not much sleep. I totally agree with Olivia in that being around everyone at practice has been a lot of fun and helped to keep me level when there has been so much going on lately! Our first match is only three weeks away so there is much work to be done before then but we are all excited to get the season underway. Until next time….

See you on the courts—Go Eagles!!!

~ Megan Mathias ~