Another Wonderful Week of Training and a Special Visit

Hello everyone,

Last week was a special week.  Not only did we welcome new Assistant Coach Chelsea Patton to the family, but we had a visit from David Wagner to campus and practice which was an outstanding treat.

A Special visit.  Throughout life, there are times when you meet an amazing person, someone whose charisma and character just light up a room and inspire you.  Having David on campus gave that chance to about 25 local youth tennis players and our entire team as well as several parents, friends and members of the campus

David Wagner, 3 time Paralympic Gold Medalist

Coach Chelsea on court with the kids

community.  Thanks to the Whitman Athletic Department for bringing David to our campus as he spoke to a public gathering about his journey from being a kid in Walla Walla to becoming paralyzed during college then taking up wheelchair tennis where he is one of the top players in the world.  Read more about David at www.davidwagner.us

Still smiling, while pushing and finishing a forehand... Man does David love tennis

He passed around a gold and silver medal from London 2012 and talked about his pride in competing and doing his best, it was so special.  Then, what we were really ready for, was to see a full time professional athlete on the court.  David trains 6-8 hours a day or more and it shows as he just flew back from the USOpen as quad doubles champ and singles runner up.  Every kid played with him in "Up Down" doubles where the player in the chair gets two bounces.  Then, at the start of practice, he talked to the team and did some warm up with us. Coach Greg from BSU would have been proud to see our team and his daughter out there doing roly poly with David!  Many thanks go to College Place Schools and Gear Up for bringing David to Walla Walla and thanks David for sharing your story, athleticism and smile with us.

Lil Mo lining up a volley

Practice update - we are so tantalizingly close to the new courts being ready, but as they are getting their finishing touches, we have alternated between playing indoors in Bratton and outside across town.  Even a 5 minute car ride gets me so fired up for our upcoming trip because each person has such great personality and I can't wait for a weekend together to strengthen bonds and forge new friendships.  And oh yeah, they play some pretty mean tennis too.  We've been working hard to get in match shape with our shots and fitness and it shows.  The focus and determination of this team is beyond any I've had the pleasure to coach and with Coach Chelsea there to add an extra pair of eyes at practice, new ideas on fitness and a quick smile and laugh, we are well on our way.  In fact, C-Patt was so on fire last week and made such an immediate impact, the team demanded that she be named Whittie of the Week!  Congrats Chelsea!

Fall USTA/ITA Regional - is this weekend in Portland; or rather its hosted by Lewis and Clark at Taulatin Hills Park and Rec center in Beaverton, OR.  I hope anyone in the area can come and watch and cheer us on.  I imagine the format will be 2 singles Friday starting at 8 or 9am with doubles to follow going into the evening and the same on Sunday with Semis and finals on Monday.  I'll blog a preview when the draws come out (probably Wednesday), but keep in touch with me if you plan on coming or would like more details, we'd love to see you!

The team with David

New Season, New Leaders, New Coach, New Whittie of the Week

WoW indeed.

This week's Whittie of the week was Morgan.  See the link here to read more about how Morgan took her leadership and team play to a new level in her first week as an upperclassmen.

We had a wonderful first week of practice.  Definitely, there was some rust to shake off, but the focus and fitness level coming off of the summer were both outstanding.  Seana, Allie and Erin fit right in and we got to work.  With the first week of practice we did short practices so the teams ability to focus was tested early and as we played more and more at the end of the week it was apparent that they were ready to go.  Especially impressive were our group of seniors.  The senior year is challenging as players have extra academic responsibilities to graduate and they are working hard to be ready to transition from Whitman to beyond.  Liv, Hannah and Maggie were all great, playing some of the best tennis I've seen from each of them in four years.

Going from experience to a new beginning, I cannot say how excited we are to have Chelsea Patton join us as our assistant coach this year.  I've worked summer camps with Chelsea and she was a dream hire for us with both knowledge and enthusiasm for the game that are second to none, Chelsea is showing that she will help us bring our work ethic and attention to detail up while laughing and enjoying every minute.  Welcome Coach Chelsea!

I have to get busy blogging, because we also had berry picking at Hutch's last week and loved hanging out with the guys and getting out to a beautiful setting off campus, Coach Jeff took some photos here.

And, I am incredibly excited about Wednesday when we host 3 time Paralympic Gold Medalist David Wagner on campus for a community tennis event.  David went to school here and had an injury as an adult but didn't miss a beat and has become one of the best wheelchair tennis players in the world.  I am excited to welcome David back to Whitman and for the teams and students here to meet him!

More to come, it is that exciting time of year, welcome to Missionary Tennis 2013-2014 baby!!

-Coach John

Welcome to Whitman

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

It's new student move in day here at Whitman and as they get to know their roommates and move into their dorms, I'd like to introduce our two first years and junior transfer.

Allie Wallin, Salt Lake City, UT

From Salt Lake City, Utah, Allie Wallin has been a factor in Intermountain tennis for yearsand comes to Whitman not only with several years of top 50 and top 100 sectional rankings, but also a semifinal finish for East High School in the State singles tournament her senior year.  Allie brings tremendous ball striking and a joy for the game and the people around her that you feel instantly.  As excited as I am about her level of play right now, her potential to keep growing and growing is tremendous.

Seana Minuth, San Francisco, CA

Seana Minuth is a familiar name as she has followed her sister Erin and high school friend Katrina from San Franciso to Walla Walla.  What we have found in her visits to see her sister is that she is incredibly caring and engaged.  On court, when I first saw her play she hit a great ball but could be all over the place, and it showed in her results; the work she's done with her coaches and really just herself has led to a greater maturity and a top 100 ranking in NorCal 18's.

Erin Bell, Granite Bay, CA

Two years ago, I recruited a player from my home area (anything within a 2 hour drive of Paradise, CA feels like my childhood home).  She was a perfect fit for the team, bright, engaged in her academics but also focused on her tennis.  She did, however, try the UC route at Santa Barbara where she played club tennis, competing in nationals and focused on school and engaging in her community.  When she contacted me that things weren't really working out as she'd hoped and the close community and engaged academics and tennis of a smaller school were what she wanted, I knew the time was right.  Erin Bell from Granite Bay, CA fell in love with the game at age 8 and like Seana and Allie brings that love to the team.  I'm sure she will transition back to competitive tennis smoothly and she is super excited to engage in her Sociology major and volunteering with youth and schools in Walla Walla.


Look for more from these three and the rest of the team, except for Maddy who is in Copenhagen for the Fall in our fall regional USTA/ITA singles and doubles championships in Beaverton, OR Sep 20-23rd.

My best to all,
Coach John

Whitties in the World

Hello everyone,

This summer has flown by and in my travels in and out of Walla Walla I thought I'd posted a couple times, once on the summer construction with our outdoor courts and once with some of the news our team has been making.  My apologies for the technical breakdown, I'll try to post a timeline of the court construction soon, which you can also read about on Coach Jeff's Men's tennis blog at http://www.whitmantennis.net/outdoor-courts/

BUT, the reason I'm writing you is to let you know what happens AFTER our Whitties leave the Whitman bubble and move on to the 'real world'.  A recent wedding of alums who both spent time as assistant coaches here brought back many former players from their jobs, grad schools, med schools and worldly adventures.

The short version is that both Kate Kunkel-Patterson and Alyssa Roberg have jobs right out of school working in fields that they are passionate about.

The more detailed version starts with KKP, who was recently featured on the Whitman website with a story of her gaining her dream job.  I have to admit when Kate first told me that as a History major she a) did not want to teach and b) was obsessed with the civil war, I was skeptical of whether she would end up doing anything relating to her degree.

http://www.whitman.edu/newsroom/headline-news/my-dream-job

This was one of many lessons I have learned in 5 years at Whitman not to assume anything about these students.  Kate's passion and drive to make her dream happen are not uncommon on campus and as her coach I couldn't be happier for anyone that she is heading to South Carolina with a full time job in Civil War History....WOW.

This trait to discover the things that really fire them up and make them a part of their life both during and after college is not monopolized by Kate.  Kate's fellow 2013 grad Alyssa has just moved to Texas (possibly under the influence of her friends' copious reminders that Texas is the best, or maybe because she met someone special at school who is attending Baylor med school...hmmmm.).  Well, she's in Houston and has excitedly reported already getting a job at the Westview School.  While she did study education along with her Psychology degree, Alyssa wasn't looking to be a teacher per se.  She has had an interest in special education, specifically how people learn (which she did a cool senior thesis on).  During internships the past two summers and now at her job, she is working with students on the autism spectrum.

If anyone has the love of children and the immense patience and caring required to work with autistic children it is Alyssa.  But more than just working, she is gaining experience that she can carry into further study and/or work in special education.  If being a teaching assistant wasn't enough, she is also working part time in a clinic that provides therapy around the verbal behavior of children with autism. In her words:

Basically, I am working at the clinic to get experience with ABA, which is the only autism treatment that has any empirical support... but is very different from what I am trained in (which was Son-Rise), and many people/schools do not like the rote, mechanical therapy that ABA provides. The Westview School does not use ABA, and Son-Rise was basically the opposite of ABA, so I am kind of inherently against it, but obviously need to experience it first hand to develop my own opinions on it. 

There are so many other great stories of what our players are doing: Elise just finished a second year with Princeton in Asia, Charlotte has worked two years in Spain, Lizzy is still doing Americorps in Hawaii, Zoe and Emily are in Seattle loving life, Alex (Duke), Jacquie (Montana State) and Katie (Montana) are in grad school, Hadley is working full time in Sun Valley and Div is still at OHSU Med School.

Now that we've looked back a bit, stay tuned for future posts looking forward to this years team, our new facilities and some other things we've been working on.

Proudly,
Coach John