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Health & Fitness

Big Blue Tennis Off to Terrific Start

I remain cautiously optimistic, ....

I remain cautiously optimistic, at least in public, that this will be a superlative year for the tennis team. Certainly we are having an excellent beginning. Yesterday, (12 April), we were scheduled to face Danvers at their house. The weather was going to be a problem; we knew it days ahead. With 18, or so, matches to play, rescheduling becomes a nightmare for Linda at the AD's office, so i wondered if we could play the match indoors. All seemed in agreement, our Boosters stepped up in support and Mike Lapierrre, at Bass River Tennis, in Beverly, graciously arranged courts for us. Transport was scheduled. Tony, another excellent driver, efficiently and safely delivered us to the courts, and we made our way into Bass River through the rain. It was good to be greeted by an old friend, Coach Ken Rawson. He has quite a responsibility - a team of 20 or so players to manage, and he's doing a great job of it.

The last few days have been marked by an interesting mix of emotion.  The team has been "up" overall. The win over Marblehead, and a 2 - 0 start to the season, can do that. Thoughts turned to Danvers as we traveled home from Gloucester, Wednesday.  I heard from the guys concerns about the strength of Ken's players and recounting of past losses - speculation about who could win and percentages of win or lose possibility. One could see some shadow edging over the confidence that had been so evident earlier. None knew it would be a real test of our depth. 

We had good practice Thursday. We continued to work on the doubles strategy i am developing with the doubles pairs, and, unfortunately, Gil was out sick. We are now down to 10 players on the roster, so when our Captain informed me that Gil was still sick, Friday, and would be unable to play, i had some moments of doubt as to whether we could put a team onto the courts that would be strong enough to carry the day. One thing remained certain - for me to counter any doubt with the foundation of confidence and "in the moment" realization of the level of skill these young men bring to the courts. My counsel, in preparation has been, "This will come down to a test of your ability to focus, and to make the match about you and the ball. Hit every shot with a purpose, put your opponent into difficulty and press your advantage. Mistakes will just be part of the process. Accept them and move on to the next point. Make the match about you and the ball, not you and your opponent." I noticed that the guys, although they spoke words of doubt about the outcome, were radiating the air of confidence that could result in victory.

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Without much distraction, (other than the need for a pair of socks, and how to print my lineup), we moved onto the courts for warmup and were soon ready for introductions.  Captain Sam, with his usual efficient demeanor, handled that, and the Singles were ready to play. 

Matt Jacobs really was dominant today. If you have not made time to see him play, you should. It is not often, in our "neighborhood", that an exceptional player like him emerges. I'm told that Nick, his opponent today, was undefeated, or once defeated, until today. Matt served strong and appeared to execute with precision that which i have been asking the guys to do, i.e., "Hit every shot with purpose, and attempt to gain control of the point within three shots." 

Henry Tiberio, the North Shore's Tennis Legend, came to the match, and told me that he wanted to make his way around to see all the matches. He did see some of them, but he said he was fascinated by Matt's level of play and watched him for the most part. Henry noted how Matt is able to, by precise shot selection, move his opponent into a vulnerable position, "..., like a pro, ...", to quote him, and finish the point again and again. "Very impressive," he said, "considering he is a freshman." Victory to Jacobs:  6 - 0, 6 - 2.

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Val Temin is the heart, the Spirit, of this team. His confident maturity, and his "Shepherd - like" demeanor with the younger players masks a fierce intensity. He has that exceptional combination of athletic gifts and the will-to-win that will carry him into success in what ever he chooses. He was very realistic about his match yesterday. Going in, he said, "I've played him; we are 2 - 2. I think i've got him today." He had a plan, he executed that plan. After the match, he told me, "..., I knew I had him late in the first set. We both held serve to 4 - all. Then I made up my mind to break him. I did, and it was over at that point."  Victory to Temin: 6 - 4, 6 - 2

Mike Pindrus was asked to step into the unknown yesterday. He is one of my doubles players, but with Gil being sick, we thought it best to play Mike at 3rd Singles, to see how that option could work. We have worked on some strategy that involves adapting to an opponent's game, and Mike executed it just as i had asked. Mike is like Val, in his own way. He has quiet confidence, knows what he can do, and he does it well. I hear that many were surprised at the outcome of his match. Me, ..., not so much. Victory, and Match Victory to Pindrus and Swampscott:  6 - 1, 6 - 1

With the Match in the Book, it was time for the doubles to show their "stuff". With Gil, sick and unable to play, our depth was demonstrated. Ian Crimmins and his brother, Captain Sam Crimmins took on the 1st Doubles position. Sam Carmasino and Moevan Dennis covered 2nd Doubles.

Here is a quote from the article describing Danvers' Team: 

"The senior captain is Jim Grace. Grace has been with the team all four years, and he is on the first doubles team, along with freshman Jim Cunningham. Cunningham is a big kid, and he certainly doesn’t look like a freshman,” said Rawson. As it turns out, Grace did not play. Cunningham was paired with Pagly, and a match that was expected to be very difficult turned out to be not as close as the score indicates, essentially because Sam is such a competent Captain and field General, and Ian played up to his potential, executing, again and again, the strategy we have worked in practice. You should have seen some of the saves he made and the way he set Sam up for put away volleys. Victory to Crimmins and Crimmins: 6 - 4  6 - 4

So it was down to 2nd Doubles to complete the sweep. When the day began,  the tension was palpable. Now, here it was again. We wanted, so much, for Moevan and Sam to have their first win in competition. This match just gives me a sense of validation as Coach.  The two of them executed the plan we had worked on in practice and the match was never in doubt.  A sensational win for Sam and Moevan. Carmasino and Dennis:  6 - 2  6  - 4

In summary, the mental focus and dedication were evident, and soon, so was the inevitable outcome.

A 5 - 0 sweep, v. Danvers, no less, and you'll notice that they did not lose a set today.

Today the team validated their own confidence and my assessment of them as a powerhouse.  I'm staying cautiously optimistic, because i know that circumstances can change quickly, but we are seeing the potential for a one-of-a-kind season. 

Hope the vacation week goes well.

CW



 

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