Friday, August 28, 2015

Introducing Madison Webster

About five years ago I got a letter and a DVD from a high school player in Long Beach, CA.  She had no ranking, not a single USTA tournament result, so her tennis was hard to assess.  Her letter to me, however, was very impressive; quite thoughtful, full of excitement, and very well written.  Still, no matter how great a person someone is, they still need to be able to play to earn a spot on the team.  Then I watched her video...okay I thought, she's got great technique, seems focused, but a video rarely tells the story of who a player is in a match or what they'll be like day in and day out at practice.  Then I get to her references, and there is a quote, "I can promise you that you will feel blessed to have her on your team".  Not bad as recommendations go, but coaches often get sentimental about their players (see pretty much every blog post I've written).  But this coach just happened to be college coaching legend and current USC coach Peter Smith.
Maddy's recruiting DVD - nice graphics, no wonder she rocked as an Art Major

One of the best things I've done in 8 years at Whitman is recruiting the heck out of Maddy Webster.  She turned out to be a terrific player and an outstanding leader on our team.  So, this summer, I started recruiting her again and I am so thrilled to announce Maddy as our assistant coach for 2015-2016.

Maddy brings to the team an incredible understanding of how our team works.  Her personality will be tremendous in recruiting and in developing the technique and tactics of our players she will add so much.  Her coaching experience started with every summer going home and working with Peter coaching at his academy.  She volunteered here in Walla Walla to teach tennis in schools and in after school programs.  This summer she taught private lessons and directed youth programs at Whitman through the City of Walla Walla Parks and Rec.  She also worked this summer as the first ever intern for our joint fund raiser with the Whitman Men's team, the Walla Walla Tennis and Wine Camp.  In that capacity, Maddy's organizational ability, teamwork and problem solving were so strong that she often finished her administrative work and jumped on court to coach.  Even with the best players, (4.5-5.0 adults), Maddy demonstrated great confidence, knowledge of the game and feel for helping players improve.
Maddy doing some coaching for the team last fall

Maddy is a huge asset for our team and I am so happy she's here with us this year.  You can reach her at webstemp@whitman.edu.

So thank you Peter Smith for your recommendation, I couldn't agree more that we are blessed to have her on our team.  I hope you don't mind if I copy it in the future when I'm writing references for Maddy.
The 2015-2016 Whitman Women's Coaching Staff


Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Welcome Whit Women of 2019!

It's that time of year, campus is starting to buzz - travel is happening and orientation is around the corner.  I've never been one for formal announcements of our recruiting classes, so this is as close as I'll get right now.  This year, we bring in a very talented (ranked #18 nationally by tennisrecruiting.net) but also really well rounded class.

Jana Klages-Miller, Whitman 2019
Leading the way on paper, is our first 3 star recruit (tennisrecruiting.net) since Courtney, Jana Klages-Miller.  Attending Reynolds high school in North Carolina, Jana competed the strong Southern Section of USTA tennis.  Her results have been great and reflect her intense focus and competitiveness.  It's really the combination of clear direct focus on tennis and school combined with a silly and fun sense of humor about everything else that really drew me to Jana.  You'll also see my recruiting style reflected in this class; while I certainly do my homework on their tennis, we don't have the budget to travel outside of the Northwest for recruiting, so we're lucky to have results, great coach recommendations and mostly the personality of each recruit to go by.  You can read more about Jana's personality is that perfect combination of hard work and fun that will make her a force to be reckoned with right away while her desire and commitment to keep growing her game are something I'm excited to be a part of for the next four years.  Another thing Jana has is a twin! Unfortunately, Nora isn't as smitten with tennis as Jana but don't shed a tear for her as she explores college from a different viewpoint at St. Andrew's in Scotland.

Mary Hill, Whitman 2019, at her ceremonial signing day.
She's with her dad Mark (left) and high school coach Mike Shaw.
Mary Hill is a 2 star recruit from Des Moines, IA, but in Universal tennis ratings, she is our top recruit.  Mary's results in the Missouri Valley Section show that she can play consistently at a level that should be able to help our lineup right away.  Perhaps what is better is that she has loads of untapped potential and a feel for the game that either comes naturally or takes years and years to teach. She's been successful in school at Roosevelt High, taking part of her curriculum through their honors program and part on the main campus in Des Moines.  I love the calm in Mary's game.  "Quiet Hands" and dynamic balance are a coaches dream and allow her to do almost anything she wants with the ball.  These play a huge part in her doubles success, winning back to back state high school doubles championships.  As calm as she is on the outside, there is a fire and excitement in Mary that is primed to explode as we all find out just how great she can be.

Cello Lockwood, Whitman 2019
More known to me is our local recruit, Caroline (Cello) Lockwood.  Cello was an instant hit on campus.  I wanted to hang out with her all day, but the team beat me to it and her ease on campus and with the returners will allow her to be a leader on and off the court from day one.  Cello brings a ton of confidence, is a terrific competitor and has a big game that she knows how to control.  Like Mary and Jana, Cello could be one of our best players right away, she's another 2 star recruit but has wins over players who are among the best in DIII.   Cello is such an athlete and competitor that it is impossible to gauge her ceiling as a tennis player and as a sparkplug for how we compete as a team.  She's the kind of person you just want to be around, her game is explosive and fluid and I can't wait to spend more time on court (and off) with her.  To learn more about Cello, here is an essay she wrote to win a World Team Tennis Leadership Scholarship.



Linqi (Lori) Sheng, Whitman 2019
Finally, our wild card is Linqi (Lori) Sheng.  We're still not sure how well we'll pronounce her name, so she may go by her English name Lori, but Linqi is the first recruited player for our program from China (and maybe the first in Whitman athletics history).  She has a beautiful game with a smoothness and tactical awareness of her favorite player, Roger Federer.  Her personality matches up with her tennis which in our sport where you can't hide from yourself so if you fight your nature, you're in trouble.  I say she's a wild card because there is no competitive reference for me from the players she trained and played with in Qingdao, China to who we have here in the US.  But, as with our other incoming players, her personality, goals and desire to do the right things to have an amazing college tennis experience made her one of those players you "have to have" on your team.  The fact that she is a baller doesn't hurt.  She's actually traveling right now with her parents up the west coast to see much of this part of America before landing in Walla Walla next week.  We can't wait to welcome our new international player and enjoy her individual personality, but also her perspective on the world that will undoubtedly be different than everyone's in a way where we can all learn from and enrich each other.
Okay, how do you tell without meeting someone in person they are perfect for you program.  Let's start with the grades and test scores to get into Whitman; add in school til 5pm so late practices every day, sprinkle on the most sparkling positive personality (thank you Skype) seeking every adventure and opportunity to grow and finish with a hip hop dance group.  I rest my case.



This is a class with talent, experience competing at a really high level, and most of all the balance of diverse personalities who all share a common love of team and tennis as an integral part of their college education.  I can't wait to start practice the first week of September and get to know everyone even more!

Welcome Linqi, Mary, Cello and Jana and your families;

 you are the present and future of Whitman tennis and are now part of our growing family!

-Coach John

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Gratitude

Hello and happy summer everyone!

The time certainly flies by with different projects going on; for me mostly fund raising and recruiting, but also preparing for an exciting season to come.  I must admit, however, that I've been dreading writing this post and have put it off for weeks and weeks.

Why would I not want to write about this team?  In 2014-2015, we not only had one of our most successful campaigns on court finishing #22 in the nation and advancing to the second round of NCAA's, but somehow, someway, this experience just keeps getting more fun and rewarding.  On top of that, the topic I'm writing about, our seniors - excuse me - graduates, is the reason we had so much fun.  But, how amazing they are is exactly why it is so hard to write and say goodbye to them.

During Maddy, Courtney and Morgan's four years at Whitman, including the past two with Erin, so much has happened.  We earned our first national ranking in my time here, we qualified for the NCAA's for the first time and in our first round in 2012 we defeated my alma mater UC Santa Cruz in what was one of the most special moments for me as a coach.  This was followed up by three more NCAA trips, but also three straight Northwest Conference championships.

Along the way, Courtney has become arguably our most decorated player ever (Lynn Greer McKelvey might argue that point...).  A three time NWC player of the year who qualified for 3 NCAA individual singles championships and 2 NCAA singles championships, she finished the year nationally ranked in singles and doubles each of her four years and is Whitman's first 7 time ITA All-American player (4 doubles, 3 singles).  What is so amazing to me is that if I had to define Courtney, it wouldn't be as an individual at all, but as the ultimate team player.  Whenever I planned a practice or made a lineup decision, in talking to Courtney, her response was always intelligent and showed huge caring for her teammates, but it always included, "whatever is best for the team, I'll do".  This is who Courtney is, and her passion for friendships and teamwork is a legacy that will endure on this team and in my heart much longer than her long list of on court accolades.

Morgan isn't without her own list of accomplishments.  As a two time ITA All-American and three time all NWC performer, Morgan was also Whitman's Senior performer of the year this year.  Despite missing significant time her junior year due to injuries, as a senior Morgan joined the Century Club, winning over 100 matches during her career at Whitman.  Anyone who spent a single practice or watched a single match of Morgan's will tell you that beyond being a talented player, she has the heart of a lion.  Morgan is the kind of competitor who inspires with her effort and will to win.   She brings all of herself to everything she does and was instrumental in instilling a team wide desire to want to win and do everything to win but without sacrificing sportsmanship, generosity and kindness.  For all of the accolades earned, neither Morgan or Courtney ever seemed concerned with them.  And that focus on the process of what it takes to be not just a good, but a better and better player, teammate and person is what truly makes these two so special.

We see this same quality in Maddy.  I remember when the three of them were in their first college tournament, playing singles and doubles at Willamette and the twins asked Maddy if she'd checked in yet for her match.  "What, I have to check in?"  Maddy's response was priceless because in high school she had chosen not to play USTA tournaments and had no idea what to do.  Her independence and determination to constantly experience new things isn't uncommon at Whitman, but to have this without giving up the training, dedication, focus and competitive edge it takes to play at the level she does is something I've never seen before.  Through her years at Whitman, Maddy was integral to everything we did.  On the court, she learned singles tactics and how to use her aggressive game to win us matches, but it was always doubles where she really shined.  Playing every position in the lineup and being ranked as high as the top 10 in the West region in doubles (I'm not sure she knows how close she and Courtney were to going to NCAA individuals their junior year), Maddy has been one of our best doubles players on a team that excels in doubles.  But it is the way she found ways to lead us, to be both incredibly supportive and loving but also so direct and efficient that in many ways made her not just a leader, but a captain and in this past year very much a coach.  Maddy would win a HUGE doubles point (7-3 record vs nationally ranked teams as a senior), lead us vocally through the match, and then promptly find us food and make sure each and every person was taken care of recovering and preparing for the next match.  As I think about it, I'm still in awe that she did all this and made it look so easy and fun. I know that everything she did made my job an absolute joy for the past four years.

Speaking of joy, having the opportunity to coach and build a relationship with Erin is one of the most incredible things I've done at Whitman.  I love how genuine the amazing young women I coach are, but Erin takes it to another level.  She knows herself, pushes herself to grow and is very direct and up front about what she wants, needs and has learned.  Change can be hard, but Erin realized that it is what she needed and transferred to Whitman as a junior.  Making the most of every day with the team, in her classes and in our community; it was incredible to see Erin have a clear plan of where she wanted to go and how she wanted to get there.  It was always the toughest matches that Erin was the most pumped up for, and that she played the best in.  How she rises up to challenges fits perfectly with her busy, quirky, fun, intense, loving personality and will make her an amazing teacher.  She is already starting her first year of teaching middle school this year as part of her grad program at Notre Dame.  As EBell becomes Ms. Bell, I couldn't be more proud.

Each of these four is an example of someone who came into college with great academic ability, tremendous tennis skills and the qualities of a teammate anyone would want to be around.  That none of them was satisfied and they all attacked their tennis, their academics and their personal growth with the same fun intensity they practice and play with every day is indicative of the very best of our program and of Whitman.  I'd like to say one more time how incredibly fortunate I feel to be their coach, to have had the time we've had and to look forward to the times ahead.

Thank you Erin, Morgan, Maddy and Courtney.  You have enriched the lives of so many around you and not only brought great years to our program, but like so many wonderful players before you, you've left the program in a stronger place than it was when you arrived - you are forever Whitties and our family just keeps growing and getting stronger.

John