Discipline...

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments."

- Jim Rohn

"Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period."

- Lou Holtz

Nuff said...

Some US Open Landscapes...

Plyo Workouts...

It seems as though the fellas are really excited about the plyometric workouts and the subsequent soreness. We were able to use the gymnasium for a speed and agility training Monday and it seems as though we have a ways to go to be in top condition. Thanks to my colleague and friend, Dr. Don Chu, and his book "Power Tennis Training", we will be working hard to get fit to my satisfaction.


I never liked the sprinting and agility 20 years ago either but I am quite sure I felt my best when training with them.

Hope the players are ready to work.

Nuff said...

ITA Regionals...

Many other ITA Regionals are taking place throughout the country this weekend and several more to come next weekend as well. There are 8 Division II regionals in total with the the champions from each to meet in Mobile, Alabama for the National Championship and a berth in the Small College Superbowl of Tennis. The Superbowl is played by the champions from the NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, NAIA and Junior College. The winner of the Superbowl receives an entry to the NCAA DI Indoor event.

It win be interesting to follow along and see which players from the other regions will join us in Mobile. Click here to follow the other regions.

Enjoy.

Be well and nuff said...

Food Wars...

A fair amount under the weather, I found myself dozing in and out of Wednesday night television. Although I did miss the majority of Coach Dano abode favorite, Man vs. Food, I did come out of a flu-like stupor just in time for Food Wars on the Travel Channel.

As luck would have it, the program featured the Philly Cheesesteak challenge. Those close to the tennis team here at Concordia know that we have great affection for Pat's King of Steaks, one of the competitors on tonight's show. I must say that, even though I am sporting a modest fever, my mouth still watered like a Pavlovian dog awaiting my reward after the ringing of a bell.


I hope I am able to stay lucid long enough to share the winner of the "war" pitting Pat vs Tony Luke. Have a look at some footage...



The verdict is in...the winner of the Food War and the finest cheesesteak in Philadelphia is...Pat's King of Steaks in a split decision.

Certainly not a surprise to this man with high cholesterol.

I say to myself tonight "be well" and as always,

Nuff said...

ITA Titles...

Well it was a long weekend of tennis for so many of us. However, there is much good news to report. Andrey Boldarev has repeated as East Regional Champion of singles and has advanced to the National event in Mobile, Alabama in October. Andrey defeated his teammate and doubles partner freshman Daniele Piludu 7-6, 6-2 in the final.

In addition the doubles pair of Boldarev and Piludu have won the doubles championship and will also advance to Mobile. They defeated fellow Clippers Tamas Dobrotka and Geza Bazula in the final 7-5,
6-3.

Essentially the Clippers were well represented throughout the entire event. In the "A" singles (click here for draw), we had 6 of 8 quarter-finalists, 3 of 4 semi-finalists, and as mentioned, both members of the finals and the champion. In the "A" doubles (click here for draw), we had 3 of 4 semi-finalists, both teams in the finals and the champion as well.

We had a long but enjoyable weekend for sure. It was nice to get to know the new players a bit better and also to witness their level of play. It seems as though we have another great group of talented young men and I look forward to great experiences to come.

We were very lucky once again to have had the good weather with us for the entire weekend and we also thank those involved in hosting the tournament. So many people work hard behind the scenes to make the weekend a nice time for the players and coaches alike. Not sure I thought the turkey burger was worth $8.50 however.


I also think that the players made some new friends as well. The event hosts both men and women so it was easy for some of the players to be distracted from the tennis at hand...for some more than others...

Sadly, yours truly, did not get enough rest this weekend and is a bit under the weather. A special thanks to Coach Tarangioli and the jack hammer snoring :) I hope to be feeling better soon, but right now...throat sore!


Congratulations to the entire team on a great weekend. All of the players competed well and are well on their way to another successful year.

Nuff said...

We are off to the ITA East Regional in Philadelphia tomorrow. I hope that the players understand how important this event is. We have won the singles and doubles draws three years in a row and have enjoyed advancing to Alabama to compete in the national event. I am in no mood to see this string of success discontinued.

I think we have many of the favorites to get the job done as the tournament is more wide open this year without Alex Grubin in the draw. Queens College has added several good players that should be a factor as well. I look forward to seeing what the other teams in the region have added.

A few nagging injuries have presented themselves and I hope that they do not become large concerns over the weekend. This tournament is quite early in the season and forces the advancing players to be on the court for as many as 9 matches in 2 1/2 days. I think we should extend the event to 4 days rather than 3 in the future.

Nuff said...

Thought...

"Why hit two serves when you can get the job done with just one?"

Nuff said...

A day of remembrance...

Please take a moment to remember those losing their lives 9/11/01 and also those whom have sacrificed so much to keep our nation safe.

May God bless you all.

Be well and nuff said...

What to do...

Doubles teams...injuries...

With so many new faces and minor injuries, a coach's head can spin. With any luck, we can get everyone back on the court at full capacity to figure out some doubles teams and prepare for the ITA East Regional.

This is no easy task as the powers that be at the CACC have shortened our fall non-championship season to 30 days when the NCAA in fact allows 45 days. Thanks so much for that! It's hard enough to prepare for some important events when we have the 45 days to work with...insert curse words here.

Nevertheless, things will work out. We have a great bunch of guys. We do have some work to do on the doubles for sure.

I look forward to full practice beginning soon.

Be well and nuff said...

2010 Fall Schedule Released

The fall 2010 schedule has been finalized and released. Of course, this is a limited slate as the fall season is the non-championship segment for men's tennis.

Sept. 18 - 20: ITA Regional Championships @ Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center, Philadelphia, PA

Oct. 2 - 3: Concordia vs. Queens Challenge @ Queens College, Queens NY

Oct. 9 - 10: Stony Brook Invitational @ Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY

Oct. 14 - 17: ITA National Small College Championships @ Copeland Cox Tennis Center, Mobile, AL

I look forward to a great season and hope to continue the team and individual success.

Nuff said...

Player Arrival...

I am happy to report that our four new players have all arrived in Bronxville safely and have started to settle in at the college through the orientation process. Certainly, this is quite an adjustment for these young men as they travel far away from their homes, friends and families to Concordia, NY. As a coach, I am mindful of this adjustment period and know how it can affect the student athlete. We are glad to have them and hope that they all have a tremendous and meaningful experience while here. Of course, I know that they will enjoy the US Open which begins Monday at the nearby USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY.

I look forward to coaching these new fellas as well as welcoming back the returning players. It is always exciting to see the fruits of the recruiting process on the court. The energy is pretty positive as I think we have improved and should continue our strong quest for the NCAA Championship.

In other news, I was able to meet up with former Clipper and current spiritual advisor to the ATP players, Pastor Bob Kraft, last night for an insightful conversation over a cup of coffee. It was nice to welcome Pastor Bob back to Concordia and also to learn about what he does for the young men and women traveling on the tour. You can catch up with Pastor Bob by clicking here (Tennis Ministry). Pastor Bob has been able to combine his love for tennis and his life dedicated to Christ into a valuable service for the touring players. You can find him at most events as he travels from tournament to tournament worldwide. I pray for Pastor Bob and his family in Hong Kong and hope he is able to continue his service going forward.

I must admit that I am excited for the upcoming fall non-championship season. It will be great to see what level we are at and to get a glimpse of what is to come next spring. Our first fall event will be the ITA Small College East Regional Sept. 18-20. This is an event with all of the regional schools participating in an individual singles and doubles draw. The winners advance to Mobile, Alabama for the National event and a chance to be crowned National Champion. Last fall, Andrey Boldarev and Alex Grubin indeed captured the doubles #1 ranking and Alex Grubin is a former National Champion of the singles. I always enjoy my trips to Alabama, well at least the tennis...
Practice begins next week and I will post on this soon.

Be well and as always,

Nuff said...

Clippers welcome Piludu...

Your Concordia Clippers welcome Daniele Piludu of Cagliari, Italy to Bronxville and the 2010-2011 squad.

Daniele brings a wealth of international experience with him to New York, both in the ITF Junior and ATP circuits. In fact, Daniele reached a career high ITF Junior world ranking of 135, with limited play and has wins over the 19th and 20th ranked junior players in the world. Certainly, one of his better career wins was over Marco Simoni 7-6, 7-6. Simoni holds a current ATP world ranking of 583.

Coach Rockhill on Piludu: "Daniele is really going to help us. He is a tremendous addition to our team and should make an immediate impact at the national level. I would not be surprised to see him ranked among the top 5 players in the division. I look forward to coaching Daniele and I believe he will well represent this college."

Join me in wishing Daniele and all of our new student athletes great success here at Concordia.

Nuff said...

2010 ITA All Academic-Teams and Scholar-Athletes Announced...

Some very special news has been announced. Both Andrey Boldarev and Raphael Namias were named to a select group of NCAA II Scholar Athletes for the 2009-2010 academic year. In doing so, the two student athletes achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the entire academic period.

Your Clippers fell just short of the team honor achieving a cumulative team GPA of 3.11 for the academic year. A 3.2 GPA is needed for the distinction. We certainly hope to achieve this prestigious honor in the near future as we are proud of our accomplishments not only on the tennis court, but in classroom as well.

Congratulations to both Andrey and Raphael on a job well done. As previously mentioned, Raphael Namias has transferred to NYU to pursue specific academic interests and will not be returning.

Nuff said...