Discipline and Trust

Dear Wonderful Fans,

Unfortunately, our home match season has come to an end. I cannot express our gratitude for all you support this season. Seeing and hearing you all at our matches got us through thick and through thin and I can assure you that you made our jobs out there a lot easier. Having said that, we still have a long way to go this season. And this is where it gets exciting. Our wins against top ACC teams this past week have given us a great confidence boost as we move into our ACC tournament and NCAA tournament play after this weekend. Our ITA team ranking has moved to 3, making us the top ranked ACC school, Nadine Fahoum had amazing wins against both Clemson and Georgia Tech at the number 1 position making her ACC player of the week, and Big Ray is still at a cruising altitude of 22 consecutive wins. Needless to say, these achievements are something to be proud of. But our team very strongly recognizes that our goal still remains exactly the same as it was at the beginning of the semester: to become National Champions.

Yesterday, we had a team psychology session with Greg Dale, which reinforced our ultimate goals and mission of the season. Individual and team successes are very rewarding and very significant no matter how small or big they may seem. However, it is sometimes easy to immerse oneself in one’s successes and lose track of the thing that has been the driving factor from the get-go. I think that yesterday’s session really helped put everything in perspective. Earlier in the semester we spoke of our core values within the team: Trust, Team First, Discipline and Fight. At this point in the season we realize that it is important for us to reflect on these values and do our best to stay true to them for the team’s sake. Two blogs ago, I talked of the “Team First” aspect and I still maintain that our team is one of the most integrated there is. Right now, it is important for us to focus intently on the “Trust” and “Discipline” values that we discussed. “What can I do to contribute to this team’s success?”

It is no secret that our team for the most part suffers from a Facebook addiction. Within 2 hours after practice, you can rest assured that there will be some DWT Facebook activity. Of course this is a way for us to take a break from a very demanding life and communicate with people we do not have time to see on a daily basis. However (and here I speak for myself), Facebook has the tendency to consume and I know that I have been drawn into this on several occasions. Instead of finishing work in a timely manner to go to sleep early, I have stayed up late because of these types of distractions. As we move towards the demanding end of the semester academically and tennis-wise, eliminating these seemingly insignificant distractions will become the determining factor in how we fair. Additionally, it has become imperative that each of us takes the time and effort to take care of our bodies. Whether this means taking 5 minutes extra to stretch or go to the training room, we all realize that we need to be committed to this. It is all about staying disciplined and trusting that your teammates will do the same. By making these small sacrifices, we can each make the world of difference.

I am happy to announce that Reka and some other girls have placed a block on their Facebook during their study hours and I am limiting my “Facebook and distraction” time to once a day in an effort to get to bed earlier.

This week we leave to Florida for our last two ACC regular season matches:

On Friday at 5PM we play Miami and on Sunday at 12PM we play Florida State.

GO DUKE!

Yours in Tennis,

Monica Gorny and the rest of DWT

Leadership, Silent Warrior, Fire, Irreplaceable

Dear Wonderful Fans,

If I had to describe this weekend to you in one word, I’d say that it was magical. From a tennis standpoint, we had two really good wins against Virginia Tech and Virginia. Big Ray fought unbelievably in her match against Virginia to remain undefeated this season and Reka’s win against Virginia Tech moved her to the most ACC wins in Duke history. However, what made this weekend even more special was the fact that we could share it with our parents. With the hustle and bustle of Duke life, we often forget how important our parents have been in getting us to where we are today. If it were not for them, I doubt that we would have the honor and privilege of representing a school of such a high caliber. I know that seeing my parents made me think of how grateful I am for everything that they have done for me.

On Saturday, Jamie treated us all to an amazing dinner at the University Club. I know that the team was extremely excited about the rare occasion of being able to trade sports clothing for something a little more spiffy. Parents, girls and coaches mingled with excited chatter and enjoyed delicious food. Towards the end of the evening, Jamie rose to give a speech about something that is really difficult to think about— our seniors graduating.

Yes, I had originally planned to dedicate this blog to our parents, but Jamie’s speech on Saturday made me very aware of the fact that as our season draws closer to an end, we move closer to a time that we all wished we could avoid.

Leadership— Liz Plotkin, or otherwise known as “grandma thunder” or “lil Liz” is one of the most assertive, forward leaders I have ever met. I believe that with her leadership and guidance on this team, we were able to become much more integrated. There have been countless occasions where Liz has stepped up and has confronted an issue that was bothering the team. No matter how insignificant someone’s problem may seem, Liz has been the person who has settled unnecessary conflicts and has formed a link between the team and the coaches. Additionally, Liz is a true inspiration. I don’t think I know of anyone else that has had two very serious knee surgeries and has come back to play amazing tennis the way she has. I think the girls on our team look up to Liz in a big way as she shows the true meaning of “nothing is impossible.”

Silent Warrior— Jamie’s description of Ellah on Saturday night was something that definitely stood out for me and I’m sure stood out to the rest of the team as well. He said that in his 14 years at Duke, he had never seen a player grow as much as Ellah. Now, I wasn’t here when El was a freshman but in my time here at Duke, Ellah has been someone that I have developed great respect for. On the court, she shows tremendous fight and will power. Off the court, I think El is one of the most selfless and genuine girls I have met. She is a true friend who always has valuable advice to give. El is not a very loud person by nature, but she still manages to be a huge presence on our team. In our warm up on Saturday El was a little late coming back from the training room and every girl noticed that she wasn’t there. It felt weird not to have El on the court with us for that short time which shows how significant her role is on the team. She has definitely earned the respect of her fellow teammates.

Fire— This sums up Nadine Fahoum’s personality on and off the court. Nadine only arrived at Duke a year ago and has adapted and integrated into our team dynamic as well as anyone could hope for. I personally feel as if I have known her for much longer. To every practice, match or team activity, Nadine brings so much laughter, light heartedness and fun to the group. We all feel so lucky that she chose to transfer to Duke because in addition to the amazing tennis that she has brought, she has added life to our team and makes everything so much more enjoyable.

Irreplaceable— Reka Zsilinszka. That’s all I can say if I want to be accurate— Reka Zsilinszka is irreplaceable. I do not think that one can come up with a single word that can describe Reka’s impact on our team. Her crazy goofiness mixed with her compassion and selflessness make her the epitome of a team player. Reka has impacted all our lives in a profound way because of her continuous effort to bond the team and include everyone in all activities. She is a role model. Obviously, her collection of awards that she has garnered over her time at Duke make her an inspiration. But I think that it is her pure heart and good intentions that make her someone that we all look up to. I know that Reks has made my life at Duke so much easier and happier. All the girls will agree with me when I say that her unique position on our team cannot be replaced.

GO SENIORS!

Tomorrow, we play against our major rivals— UNC – at Chapel Hill at 3PM. If you can make it to our match, I know we all will greatly appreciate it. GTHC!

This weekend is senior weekend as we play our last two home matches of the season. We play Clemson on Saturday at 12 PM and Georgia Tech on Sunday also at 12 PM. Come out and cheer on DWT’s special seniors!

GO DUKE!

Yours in tennis,

Monica Gorny and the rest of DWT