2016 Net News - January 15
1/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Happy New Year Alabama Tennis Fans,
Alas a new season is upon us and opening day is just over 24 hours away. It has been a fun and enthusiastic start to Spring Training as the team returned to campus on January 4. We embarked on a two-day retreat where we hung out on Lake Tuscaloosa and had a team forging and ropes experience at Red Mountain Park in Birmingham. We all got to catch up on the latest and greatest that took place over winter break, find out if Santa put coal or presents in our stocking, hear how good or bad the weather seemed to be in different parts of the country and world, share plenty of laughs and stories, and simply put, just hang out together. The trip to Red Mountain was a new one for us as we engaged in several team oriented exercises and challenges, as well as found ourselves testing our fears high above the ground as we zipped, climbed and repelled through a forest. A few retreat highlights included Nikko's never ending games of FIFA and NBA on the Sony Play Station, some epic Crazy 8 battles by Becker, the team's human knot drill which seemed to untangle and tangle with each of our moves, total domination of the new MacGyver game which didn't require too much troubleshooting like the special agent once did in the mid-1980s, and a soaring Mazen, high above the ground, refusing to zip 1000 feet one time, but not a second, as he conquered his fear of heights. The retreat ended with a tasty and filling dinner at Taco Loco Mexican Restaurant, which turned out to be 'crazy' good.
Team practice began on January 6 and comprised of several double session days on court as well as off court conditioning such as circuit work in the weight room, running on the track, and of course, ultimate frisbee at the indoor football facility. All the guys returned fairly strong, so it didn't take long for them to find their rhythm and get their groove back. The excitement of the season certainly contributed to the training sessions which focused on a daily stream of attitude & energy, intensity & effort and focus & action. There were several team meals and gatherings where we cheered on other Alabama sports teams like men's basketball, and of course, football's 16th national championship. What a game!
School began on January 13, and with it came the familiar sights and sounds on campus like seeing the plethora of student-athletes going in and out of athletic facilities, watching the Crimson Ride busses zoom by on their routes, hearing the music of Denny Chimes throughout the day, observing thicker traffic build up on the Strip and the long cue at the Ferguson Starbucks, seeing the constant flow of students, faculty and staff as they made their way across the quad and noticing a few more layers of clothing on people as temperatures dipped to a chilly and crisp level. Back to business as usual at Bama.
One of my kids' favorite songs is "The Ants Go Marching," and like this tune, the Crimson Tide will go marching, but with 11 by 11. These include one senior (Becker O'Shaughnessey), two juniors (Hayes Brewer & Nikko Madregallejo), five sophomores (Sam Edwards, Grayson Goldin, Danny Kerznerman, Korey Lovett & Matthew Rossouw), one redshirt freshman (Langford Hills) and two true freshmen (Mazen Osama & Spencer Richey). We'll also be joined by former players Andrew Goodwin and Stuart Kenyon, who will assist Bama in coaching roles. Andrew completed his studies in early December and is now an official graduate serving as volunteer coach replacing Jarryd Botha, who began the MBA program at Alabama. Stuart has the home stretch of his engineering program this semester and will be an undergraduate assistant coach, while my trusty sidekick, Ryler DeHeart, will continue battling in any competition on or off court, on any day and at any time.
This weekend promises to bring you a smorgasbord of competition. First on Saturday, we will face No. 16 Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. followed by a 5 p.m. match up with Georgia State. Free pizza and Alabama Tennis koozies will be provided to fans during the Virginia Tech match. Then on Monday, local foes, UAB and Samford, travel down the interstate to face the Tide at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. All matches will be played at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Indoor Tennis Facility (as well as all of our home matches through February 7).
The Crimson Racket Club hospitality room will serve drinks and snacks to its members just under the stadium seats like in previous years. Credentials will be available for pick-up at the CRC table just inside the fan entrance. For those of you who are not members, you can sign up on match day and enjoy a fun and exciting way to take in a full season of great tennis for both the men's and women's programs. Applications will be available at the CRC table or you can print one by clicking on this link and bringing it with you this weekend.
Here's to a thrilling season ahead, and I look forward to seeing you all this weekend. Let's fill the stands!
Roll Tide!
George
Players Mentioned
