Team First

Dear Wonderful Fans,

During our lifting session today I was inspired by something in our team that has been distinctly present throughout this semester, and throughout our time together as a team thus far. A catchy phrase that we have used both seriously and jokingly sums it up: TEAM FIRST! During our more challenging lift today, it was evident that we all could feel the effects of the intensive season on our bodies. We have been working hard throughout the semester and as we move further into our ACC matches, we all realize that it is not going to get easier. However, what is remarkable (and I use today’s lift as an example), is that despite the fatigue and aches that we all feel to a certain extent, there has barely been any complaining. Instead there has been an increase in encouragement and a strong sense of togetherness. This togetherness in our team, both on and off the court, has made our season so much more enjoyable because no matter what the challenge may be, we have each other’s backs and that reassurance is enough to get us through the toughest of times.

In a sports psychology session with Greg Dale this semester we discussed our core team values and the importance of adhering to them. In amongst others such as trust and fight, “team first” came up and seems to have had the most profound effect on our team. Why? Because countless hours of hard work, determination and oodles of fight would not be as satisfying if we only did it for ourselves. Knowing that by working hard you’re also improving your team is so much more motivating and rewarding and in college tennis, this is the key to a successful program.

Yes, we are a tennis team and therefore we associate the “team first “idea with tennis related activities. But, to put your team first in tennis, you need to put your team first in other aspects of your life as well. This season has proved that we are all willing to do this. Mary Clayton is a great example of this. In doubles, I must admit that I usually have the jitters at the beginnings of matches but Mary has taken the time to figure out what she can do to try and relieve me of this problem. She uses seemingly insignificant things such as smiling more often to try and relax me and this has made the world of difference. Additionally, it is no secret that Mar has been steam rolling her opponents in the last few matches. Instead of dwelling in her victory, Mary immediately goes to another court to cheer on a teammate as if her personal success depended on it. Off the court, Mary also exemplifies the “team first” idea. All the girls will agree with me when I say that Mary is a “social butterfly” and has many friends around Duke campus because of her bubbly, friendly personality. However, she is always willing to help her team out first. I know that I not only treasure Mary’s friendship, but I also respect her for the way in which she selflessly thinks and puts the team above herself.

DWT can be described as a successful tennis team. But to us, DWT is a family where everything we do is for the benefit of each other. Every single girl is the most important part of the team and we all realize and maintain that idea. This will hopefully help us be successful this season and for seasons to come. But more importantly, I hope that this helps us in our futures where we can remain friends and help each other in times of need. TEAM FIRST!

This week we are leaving for two away matches to continue our ACC play:

On Friday we play Boston College and on Sunday we play Maryland.

Thank you for all your support so far this season. It has been really helpful to all of us!

GO DUKE!

Yours in tennis,

Monica Gorny and the rest of DWT

DWT on Spring Break in Arizona: Update 1

Dear Wonderful Fans,

As you all know, we’re on our spring break in Arizona at the moment. We’ve been blessed with amazingly warm weather over the past few days and as a result, we have a few burnt faces on our team. In amongst practicing, the last couple of days have been really relaxing and a good break from the bustle of our really demanding lives at Duke. Here is a summary of what we have been up to...

On Monday, we started off with a good practice session that started us on the road to getting acclimatized to the conditions. It’s really dry here so the ball travels through the air a little faster. It definitely takes some getting used to. After practice, some girls went on a hike with Marc. I did not go so I don’t know the specific details but I did hear some entertaining stories. Firstly, the girls that went said that it was more of a mountain climbing experience than a hike. Liz’s scratched-up running shoes are proof enough. Despite the evidence that indicates how strenuous this hike was, apparently Mary was on a role and practically ran up and down the mountain. But, the person who was the most prominently spoken about after this expedition was our awesomely funny freshman- Hanna! We all know that cactuses are not something that one can just touch and I’m sure you’ll all agree that there is a clear difference between a cactus and a rock. Well, apparently dear Hanna tried to grab onto a cactus for support while climbing down the mountain. When asked what inspired her to do this, she simply said that it looked like a rock to her. A rock? A green, prickly rock? Thank goodness that she didn’t manage to grab hold of it or else things may have ended badly. This story has evolved over the past three days. Today, the consensus is that Hanna jumped on a cactus. I don’t know the real truth but I must say that the story is extremely entertaining. Go Han!

Yesterday, we went on a shopping expedition to an outlet mall five minutes away from our hotel. I’m sure all the girls will agree with me when I say that it was successful. We all walked out with multiple bags in our hands. Reka and Ellah were late coming out of the mall because apparently they got “lost” – in a circular mall with numerous signs indicating the exits. Or, they hadn’t had enough of their epic shopping spree. I’ll leave it to you to decide.

Today, we were treated to a movie— The Adjustment Bureau. It was a really good movie. But was even better (not everyone will agree with me on this one— especially not our coaches), was Reka’s commentating. “Oh my gosh, they like love each other…sigh…gasp…. giggle.” You didn’t have to be actually present at the movie to know what was going on.

As you can see, there is never a boring moment on this team. We have a wonderful bunch of girls that make the most of every opportunity to have fun while still keeping “the eyes on the prize.” Tomorrow we take on the Arizona State Sun Devils and on Friday we play California. The last few days of practice have definitely been good preparation for our tasks ahead and we’re ready to battle it out over the next two days.

GO DUKE!

Yours in tennis,

Monica Gorny and the rest of DWT

All the Way From Israel: Fiery Fahoum

Dearest Wonderful Fans,

As I am writing this blog, we are on a plane to Phoenix, Arizona for our spring break trip. We are all so grateful that we’ll be in a wonderfully warm and sunny area so that we can shed our pasty selves and come back to campus in a week, flaunting flattering tans. In between exciting activities that I’m sure Jamie has planned for us, we will be further acclimatizing to outdoor conditions, ending the trip with two dual matches against Arizona State and California. Spring break is always one of the most fun trips of the season so we’re all very excited to see what the week holds in store for us.

In the last two blogs I introduced to you our two amazing freshmen— Big Ray and Han. In this blog, I’d like to introduce you to our third and final newcomer of this year— Nadine Fahoum (or purely Fahoum as she is known to us). In her few months at Duke, Israeli-born Fahoum has brought a diverse array of essential dimensions to this team. Tennis enthusiasts always say that the two most important characteristics that a tennis player needs in order to succeed are mental strength and heart. Fahoum is one of the most passionate players that I have ever come across. She is not only out there to play a good game of tennis and win, but she is also out there to play the game that she loves. No matter how insignificant a match may be, Fahoum’s heart is always in it. There is no doubt that everyone enjoys winning. But Fahoum also loves the fight and this is why it is such a pleasure to watch her out there.

An important thing to note about Fahoum is the fact that she is an international, transfer student. Not a lot of us can relate to this. I can assure you that this can make entering a closely-knit team such as ours a lot more challenging. However, from the first day that Fahoum set foot on Duke’s campus, one would think that she had always been a part of our team. Her spunk and fiery personality make her an outstanding teammate, and above all, an amazing friend. Whether one needs advice or just someone to talk to, Fahoum will stop what she’s doing and direct her full attention to you. Additionally, she is someone that you can trust with anything. I know that she has earned our respect for her ability to mediate any conflicts without betraying any trusts.

Evidently, Fahoum can be a mature and serious person when that is what is required. However, she can be a total goof as well. One thing that Fahoum will never live down within our team is her denial of the fact that she has an Israeli accent. Try and tell her that, and she’ll deny it with a heavily accented “Don’t tok tu me.” I cannot describe to you how entertaining this is. Additionally, Fahoum has an “interesting” music taste. On our team, it is often described as flat out atrocious. Personally, I do like some of the songs that Fahoum likes, with the emphasis on “some.” But generally, her music cannot be described as our team’s “songs of choice.” Before a practice about two weeks ago, Fahoum sent out a mass text saying that she had a really good, new playlist to play during our practice. We all were really excited, because seldomly does anyone create a playlist for the sole purpose of practicing to it. As practice began, so did the first songs. By the fifth song we had all had enough. Not only had none of us heard these songs before, but also some of them were not even in English. These instances of Fahoum’s international flavor and humor bring us so many laughs and we all love her for it.

GO FAHOUM!

As mentioned above, we are playing Arizona State and California this week. This blog has been updated weekly so far, but because it is our spring break trip, I will try to keep you all updated on a more frequent basis so please follow us on the blog site: http://duketennis.blogspot.com/ or on the Facebook Duke Tennis page.

Go Duke!

Yours in Tennis,

Monica Gorny and the rest of DWT.