the lines are still good

Follow the happenings of an animated college tennis coach and his teams in their pursuit of an NCAA National Tennis Championship. It is always the impressive trophy that is displayed for all to admire that gets the attention, but it is the journey to claiming that trophy, the relationships built, the people served and the memories created, that live forever...and what I hope you will find interesting...

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Counting Down...


This is the final week of preparation prior to the "real" beginning of the season. We will travel to Florida on Friday to our friendly confines at Ocean Gallery in St. Augustine. It will be very difficult to reproduce the success of last season's undefeated spring trip as the schedule is a little tougher and our team is somewhat less experienced.

Even with the warmer winter in NY, we have not yet been able to practice out of doors to get acclimated to the conditions. However, regardless of how we do, we will gain match experience and hopefully continue to bond as a team.

I am excited to see how the players respond and preform versus some of the top competition in the country. We are a very young team this year so the most important thing at this point is simply to improve every time we take to the courts. I am pretty confident that we will be there in the end once again this year but the the road traveled will most probably be a little different.

As I mentioned in the season preview on the college's web page, our freshmen will determine how far we go this year. They have progressed quite a bit since the fall and continue to work hard to get themselves where we need them to be in order for us to be successful. It seems as though the team as a whole is starting to grasp the coaching philosophy...finally. Thankfully, Coach Neil bought me an electronic megaphone for Christmas which has certainly come in handy.

Nuff said...

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Clippers vs. STAC 8pm Tonight...


Home opener for your Clippers tonight versus STAC with first serve scheduled for 8pm. Stay tuned to twitter for live updates.

We hope to get the entire roster involved tonight but also want to see a solid effort in the doubles matches. I expect to see both energy and improvement as we have been spending much time with four on a court.


If you are in the area, stop by the Meyers Tennis Center and support the fellas. Feel free to say hello to Coach Dano as well.

Please pardon the pictures if you are not able to discern the references.

Nuff said...

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Concordia Preseason #1 CACC...


I have never fully understood the importance of preseason polls. These seem to be of very little value but for some reason the conference asks the coaches to take a preseason vote and then publishes some sort of press release with the results. I guess it gives SID's something to do and somehow strokes the ego of those praised. That being said, I have never seen any sort of trophy on the mantle in any home that boasts a preseason championship.

Well, now that you know how much I appreciate these polls, let me share the super-terrific news. Your Clippers have been voted CACC preseason #1 (fireworks exploding and lights flashing). Click here for the exciting story.

The CACC should have some improved teams this season and we will be looking forward to the enhanced challenge. We have done about as well as possible in our first two years in the conference and are certainly expecting to continue the success. Winning the CACC is one of the first steps necessary to achieve our ultimate goals. We know that there are a few teams that would love to take home the title so we do not take any achievement lightly, except of course, for a preseason honor.

Nuff said...

Schedule Update...


Hello tennis peoples,

We have a few changes to the spring schedule to report. We have added two matches and moved one that was scheduled to accommodate Bluefield State and STAC. Please make the appropriate changes to your schedule so that you are able to attend the additional home contests.

2/16, Thursday, STAC, Home @ 8pm
3/20, Tuesday, Bluefield State College, Home @ 3:30pm
3/21, Wednesday, Chestnut Hill College, Away @ 3:30pm

Hope to see you at the home contests.

Nuff said..

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Season Opener...


Hello all. It is an exciting time as tomorrow we will open another season of tennis and another quest for an NCAA D2 National Championship.

We will not open the season with a soft opponent. In fact, the Red Storm of St. John's University are a force this year and will probably among the 25 best teams in NCAA D1. We will certainly get an idea of how good we can be tomorrow but by no means is your Clipper team as good today as it will be in a few months. We have improved quite a bit in this last week and will only get better as time goes by. This is a very young team with tremendous potential and it will be nice to see how we do against a strong opponent tomorrow.

Click here for a preview.

Also, you can follow the match on twitter here.

Nuff said...

Monday, January 23, 2012

Heart...


Hey, I am no Lleyton Hewitt fan but I would certainly take his heart in a player any day. His will to win is pretty strong and I admire that in a player. This is the kind of determination that your Clippers will need to win a championship this year.

Nuff said...

Monday, January 16, 2012

It's Not Just a Day Off From Work...


"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

On and Off the Court...


The fall semester grades have been recorded and there is plenty of good news to report for both the men and women of the court here at Concordia.

Your Clipper men posted a solid 2.98 GPA for the fall with 2 players, Mark Mozer and Geza Bazula, achieving perfect 4.0 semesters. These two, along with two others, Benas Majauskas and Dani Piludu, have eclipsed the 3.5 GPA necessary to be ITA Academic All-Americans if they can keep up the good work in the spring. All four will appear on the college's Dean's List for the semester. Whereas the 2.98 team GPA is solid, it is slightly below our goal of 3.2 which is the necessary GPA to achieve the ITA Academic All-American Team standing.

The Clipper women have really impressed with a team GPA of 3.67 for the semester. This is a tremendous accomplishment considering this was achieved during their championship season which requires great tennis demands in addition to the academic tasks. Congratulations to Ana Mendes who achieved a perfect 4.0 for the semester. In addition to Ana, Juliana Frey, Camilla Xavier, and Yuliya Plevako all also achieved a 3.5 or better and will appear on the Dean's List for the semester. Clearly the women's team is in great shape to have several individual Academic All-Americans as well as to secure the team award.

The coaching staff takes great pride in the team's successes off the tennis court. We always strive to have good student athletes that will be ready to succeed in society upon graduation.

Well done!

Nuff said...

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Ready For 2012...And Beyond!

Greetings and my best for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012!!!
I am really looking forward to a great 2012 and hope the same for all of my tennis family around the world. I hope all of you are ready to meet the challenges ahead and that great joy will result from your efforts. Remember, we never stop trying and we never give up.

Much love to you and your families and cherish all of the good that is around you.

Nuff said...

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas...


It has been quite a last four weeks for your old Coach Dano. However, I certainly want to take a few moments to wish all of you a very Merry CHRISTmas.

Life can take some crazy turns and nothing is guaranteed to any of us. Unfortunately, up until just now, the CHRISTmas season has sort of gotten away from me; passed me by without much thought, shopping, song, decorating, gift wrapping, worship and so forth. You see, without going into too much detail, my wife has been dealing with some serious health issues and all that goes with that. Although this is something that I am sadly pretty familiar with throughout my life, you never really get accustomed to it, especially during the holidays.

However, as I started to think about what has taken place these last four weeks, I realized that one aspect of the CHRISTmas season has been starring me right in the face. I have been blessed to have had family and friends close to me and helping me though the process. After all, is not what is under the tree that is important, it is those that surround it with you. A special thank you to all that have supported.

I have understandably not been around the college nor with the team recently and I certainly regret not being able to wish the players, both past and present, CHRISTmas joy and also safe travels as most have traveled back home to be with their families abroad. I look forward to having the chance to welcome my tennis family back to Bronxville and to the spring semester. I hope this comes to pass.

This year I have no "CHRISTmas list". I am not expecting to unwrap too many gifts either. However, I have been given other great gifts. I have the opportunity to affect so many other's lives on a daily basis. I also have been given the greatest gift of all and CHRISTmas celebrates just that. Well, truthfully though, I am asking and praying for one thing this year, it's just not something that is wrapped and unwrapped.


Merry CHRISTmas to all of you, my tennis family around the world. I hope that your holiday is filled with great joy. You will all be in my prayers.

Nuff said...

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Dobrotka...

Did we ever see this level of intensity from Tamas on the tennis court???


Nuff said...

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Some Of My Favorite Quotes...


Just in case you have missed these quotes that are posted in the right hand column of this blog, here are some of my favorite quotes for your enjoyment. I hope you find them as inspirational as I do.


"I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters, and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others he has placed in my path." - Ben Stein

"You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy." - Arthur Ashe

“One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than fifty preaching it.” - Knute Rockne

“If what you did yesterday seems big, you haven't done anything today.” - Lou Holtz

"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." - Vince Lombardi

"The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break." - John Madden

"Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

"Success is a journey, not a destination." - Arthur Ashe

"Champions keep playing until they get it right." - Billie Jean King

"Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play." - Mike Singletary

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

"The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuses, that's the day you start to the top." - O.J. Simpson

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." - John Wooden

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

Nuff said...