More joy...

Who will be the next two?

Nuff said...

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Nuff said...

A Start...

Well we are off to a good start folks.  In case you missed it, your Clippers defeated the Fordham University Rams yesterday at the Meyers Tennis Center 9-0 registering the first of hopefully many wins this season.

One of the big challenges this year will be the formation of our doubles teams.  The last few seasons our teams have been pretty consistent.  However, with the graduation of Andreas, David and Andrey, new pairs need to be identified.  Thankfully, Dani and Benas have stepped up and become a formidable squad that are capable of competing with the best teams in the country as demonstrated by their great fall and current #1 doubles ranking in the country.  With the addition of Rafa, Ofir and Pulat we have players to choose from but we need to find some chemistry for the remaining two doubles teams.  Something tells me that we will do some experimenting as the season begins.  With any good luck we will find three and maybe even four solid pairs.  That being said, what we wrote down in the book yesterday seemed to work pretty well as we swept the three doubles points.

Our good fortune continued in the singles and we were able to grab all six points for the match sweep.  It was nice to see Ofir and Rafa successful in their debuts.  We will need both players to make significant contributions for us to continue our recent success.  As you can see by clicking on the (9-0) above, the scores were pretty one-sided this match.  I have to be honest, I am really not sure if this was due to our great play or a less than enthusiastic performance from Coach Neil's Alma mater.  It seemed to me as though the Rams were not inspired from the moment they arrived in the building.  I certainly feel for Coach Brzov, my friend and former USTA summer league partner, as he has his work cut out for him to get his team to reach its potential.  I hope he can use his tennis smarts to get these guys on track.  I believe that he can and will do just that.

With respect to our performance I was certainly happy with the result at #1 doubles as Dani and Beni were solid and defeated a good pair.  I would like to see them get back to playing with the high energy as they did in the fall but sometimes a one-sided match takes some of that away.  I think that our new guys playing in their first collegiate matches showed their talent and promise but also some opening day jitters.  Pulat, Ofir and Rafa have plenty of experience so I expect that they will get comfortable with match play quickly and become tough outs anywhere in the lineup that they are asked to play.  I am really proud of Juuso.  He has made a great leap and is a legitimate #1 singles player in the division.  He works as hard as anyone on and off the court and his results demonstrate this.  Great things are in store for this young man.  Benas is also very hungry to compete and aspires to be the best he can be.  He is one of the guys that could play at the top for us at this point.  In addition, Ricky picked up two wins for us and looks ready to have a good senior campaign.  He is playing with more confidence and we are counting on him a lot this year.

I hope that this team continues to gel and play for each other.  We really need all eight players working hard and pushing each other to be the best.  At this time we have not achieved this.  We are close but not quite there.    I have tried several tactics to accomplish this and I will keep trying until I get it right.  I have been doing a lot of reading and have a new approach that I hope works for us.  Time will tell.

On another front, it was nice to have a solid amount of fan support at the match.  Included in the group was former AASU Pirate Dan Regan and NYIT Coach Chris Frusci.  Great to have them in Bronxville.

Next up will be Merrimack Saturday 2/22 at 2:30pm.  Hope to see you there.  Coach Neil is sneaking up on his 500th win with the men's team and that will be an amazing day in the history of Concordia athletics.

Until we meet again, God Bless You and be well.

Nuff said...

How much longer?

Getting Better...

Two questions that I often think about are:   What are you going to do today that will make us a better team? And, how can you make the others around you better?  These apply to players and coaches alike.

I will not bore you all with the specific answers as they are proprietary Clipper coaching secrets and are really aside from my point to a degree.  My contention is that it is of vital importance that any team with aspirations of great success have these thoughts on their mind each and every day. Thomas Edison wrote that "vision without execution is hallucination."  Most players and coaches have a vision.  I would even suggest that most have a strong desire to accomplish great things.  However, as we all know, talk is cheap and actions speak far louder than words.  Essentially, the best players and teams don’t just think about their desire for greatness, they act on it.  They are willing to do what it takes to be great and their success is easily measured by examining the work and effort put forth.

So, generically speaking, how does one get better and make teammates better?  I would suggest that one person in pursuit of excellence raises the standards of everyone around them.  Further, show up and do the ordinary things better than everyone else by practicing, focusing and improving everyday on the little things. Demonstrate a standard to others that leads the way and do not accept anything less from teammates.  The great thing about this is that people will not only remember you for your great accomplishments on the court but also for your contributions that helped the others around you.  Believe it or not, the latter will last longer in other's memories.

If we have focused practice and preparation each day, each week, and each month we will have remarkable results and the success in matches will take care of itself.  I find myself reminding the players and myself during this early part of the season that the National Championship is not simply won on May 17, 2014 but will be won a little each day by how we practice and prepare throughout the season.  One shot and one practice does not seem like very much but if we play each shot and practice every practice with focus over the course of a season it’s a lot.

In actuality, only about 5% of our tennis season is made up of match day performance whereas roughly 95% is made up of the time spent preparing and practicing.  We need to understand that how we practice and prepare with that 95% will determine our match success. Many students, faculty and other student athletes come to our matches and think we are great because of what they see on that match day. What they don't realize is it’s how we prepared for the match that made us perform well.  If we want to be great again this year we have to commit to match preparation which is hours of time spent on the court, in the gym, and running the miles.  All players must invest 100% of their energy.  Any player investing less prevents the team from achieving it's potential and will actually prevent others from being their best.  

Right now we are a January team.  Now, don't get me wrong, I really like my team but we simply have a long way to go.  For your Clippers to have another successful season we will need to focus on becoming a team.  The players need to understand that they all have a role and all need to be striving everyday to get better and make the others better as well.

I truly believe that we are on the correct path and more players are "on the bus".  These next few weeks will be crucial in determining what we will be going forward and if we can reach our potential.

Nuff said...

Happy New Year 2014!!!

Happy New Year!  Welcome 2014!

The advent of a new year means something different to most everyone I speak with.  Some folks are so fed up with 2103 that they are thrilled to witness it's conclusion.  Others express sadness and want to delay the passing of time.  Several are optimists and look forward to great things in the upcoming year...

After some reflection, my official position has aspects of quite a few sentiments.  For me 2013 has been an interesting year.  So much good yet some not so good as well.  So many things to worry about. That being said, my belief is that my best days are ahead of me.  I feel this way not simply because of cockeyed optimism but because I am committed to doing today what will make me better tomorrow. Not always so easy however, at least not for me.  Well, actually, very easy to say but not so easy to implement. Nevertheless, my plan is essentially to care even more about the work that I do and show people even more that I care about them.  I plan to love and serve more.  Also, I intend to get more sleep.  I really need it.

One of the things that I have been thinking about lately is that of purpose.  My purpose has become much more clear to me recently and I look forward to living with this purpose in mind going forward rather than simply chasing the things that I think will make me happy.

Remember everything happens for a reason and too much time is spent worrying about things we cannot control.  I recently read that "nothing wastes more energy than worrying."  Very true indeed.

I will be celebrating NYE at The Cookery with a great meal.  I hope that I make it to 12 midnight to witness the ball drop in Times Square on television.  It seems some years I have fallen asleep on the couch before the countdown.  

I wish all of you a momentous conclusion to 2013 and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2014!  Make great memories and cherish them.

Nuff said...

Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas everyone!

It was nice to see a little snow on Christmas Eve and thus somewhat of a White Christmas here in the New York area.

It has been a wonderful Christmas morning thus far hearing from so many friends worldwide.  I often marvel about the technology that exists and sometimes even wonder if it is always such a good thing. However, being able to communicate and share holiday well-wishes with so many folks both near and far is one of it's major benefits.

I must say that while this morning I received the marvelous gift of the Magic Dessert Bullet, I also know that today we all celebrate the greatest gift we could ever receive...the gift of Jesus!

My dear friend and coaching partner, Neil Tarangioli, recently emailed one of his occasional blasts to greet and update friends and both family and tennis family alike.   He wrote something that I want to share with you below:

"In the event your road has obstacles, I wish you all of the strength to persevere.
If you need a friend's help, give me a call.
If all is going great, help someone else less fortunate."

Well said indeed.  Great coaching.

May the true spirit of Christmas stay with you throughout the year and always.

Nuff said...

Deja vu...



 

My all-time favorite Concordia Tennis picture (top) with Rodrigo and Kirill represents the rise of the program to the national level.  These two major players in our history led the program to its first "Sweet 16".  Also significant is the advent of a culture of players playing for each other rather than only for themselves.  I have so many fond memories of the 2004-2005 season. 

Of course, the baton has been passed time and time again to where we now stand.  As most of you know by now, Dani and Benas (bottom) captured the ITA National Small College Championship (NCAA D2) in doubles a few weeks ago and were involved is some great matches along the way.

I hope that this sense of togetherness is contagious and we grow together as a team and to a level higher than just the sum of the parts.

I really like my team. 

Nuff said...

CACC Champions...



One for the thumb...

Five years in a row!

Nuff said...

Soon...

 

A Little Frustration...

 

Along this tennis path I have been so fortunate to meet many people who have assisted my endeavors.  For that I am very grateful.  Of course, there are also those who try very hard to block my road to success and set up pitfalls so often that I argue they actually enjoy said attempts and do so simply as a result of their own failures.

Shame on them...

They will come to know that they have misjudged my strength and they will never be able to impede my mission.

"Sometimes when things seem like they are falling apart, they are actually falling into place."

Nuff said...

Fishing Coach...

 

Please disregard the outfit.

Nuff said...

Recruiting...

Hello Clippers folks,

It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride this off season as big changes are in store for the rosters next season...

On the men's side of things we graduated David Tisserand, Andreas Lindell and Andrey Boldarev.  These fine young men greatly contributed to our success during their tenure here at Concordia and will certainly be difficult to replace.  Each have seen at least two NCAA "final-fours" and Andrey reached this milestone all four of his years.

Luckily we have two players already here on campus that will step right in and we expect them to have a similar impact to that of those recently departed.  There will also be others joining the roster that will be announced in the near future and I look forward to sharing that shortly.

The women's picture will be significantly altered as the core of our roster will not be returning to our squad in the fall.  Of course, we graduated Yuliya Plevako, Ana Mendes, and Camilla Xavier and they will be missed.  In addition, Estelle Fougeray, after a super first year in Bronxville,  has decided to give medical school a shot back in her native France and we wish her the best of luck.  Luisa Candido will certainly be missed as she has opted for a transfer to another university.  Lastly, Zi Ling has also left Concordia to attend another university.

Clearly, there is much work to do and I have been doing it...or at least trying to do it.  Losing too much sleep actually.  It's just not easy to replace so many players all at once.  However, not to worry my friends of the Clipper ship, we will be just fine when school starts this fall.  Final roster additions are expected and I hope that everything is completed in a few short weeks.  I look forward to sharing the final rosters with you as soon as possible.  I really think you will all be very proud of your new Clippers and will have quite a bit to be excited about going forward.

Nuff said...

Another day...

Good morning all,

We had a nice restful day after the conclusion of our match yesterday.  Since we finished at 9am most of the team took the opportunity to catch up on sleep.  I was able to get some exercise jogging around the park which was desperately needed. 

Neil and I went over to the tournament site to support our friends at NYIT as they took on Hawaii Pacific.  Sadly, their great season ended with a tough loss to HPU but a great season nevertheless.  Also, we caught a glimpse of Queens College as they played but were also on the losing side of things.  However, what an accomplishment for them.  I hope to equal their achievement and qualify for Nationals with our women's team next year.

Queens coach Alan Nagel

I did venture back over to the park to feed the ducks.  I think that they enjoyed my company or at least the food.  A few of the guys went to a nearby high school for a little hitting to sharpen their game.  I hope it will help as today we will need to be at our best to advance over a great Lander team.  I do like our chances however and am proud of our team.

The evening ended with a trip to the Outback Steakhouse.  The guys love this place...I don't.  In any case, some good fellowship and the stomachs were filled.  I do wish that there wasn't so much cell phone activity during the meal but I guess it's a sign of the times.

Well it's off to the breakfast buffet and then to the courts.  I hope to be back with you later to report another win.

Nuff saif...