Dearest Duke Tennis Fans,
Well the season has officially come
to a close. After several weeks of post-season hibernation, we are all
beginning emerge and reenter the social world—a place where pajamas are no
longer the standard dress code (ugh, what a shame). During these last few weeks
we’ve had the chance to look back on our season, which was filled with highs
and lows. Albeit, the lows might be the
first things that come to mind when looking back, the highs are equally (if not
more) important to keep in mind.
This year
DWT welcomed two new members to our family—Marianne Jodoin and Nicole Lipp.
First off, from a personal standpoint, it’s a shame I didn’t get to know Mimsie
better in juniors because she’s one of the sweetest, most sincere and hardest
workers I know. As a junior transfer, she brought a unique perspective that definitely
played a key role in keeping our team positive in the face of adversity. She
understands and appreciates just how lucky we are to be part of the Duke
family. Her transition into Duke life has been seamless and she has handled
herself with an unbelievable amount of poise and grace. Not only is DWT lucky
to have her as a vital component on and off the court, but I’m also fortunate enough
to have gotten to play doubles with her for most of the season (pound it ;D).
Nicole Lipp is so humble and down
to earth that I don’t think she will ever truly understand the immense impact
she had on our team this season. None of us really wanted to question it at the
time, but we all asked ourselves, at one point or another, if we too would
be willing to forgo the freedom of a senior spring to join a team that seemed
to be cursed with injuries? (The answers went something like, “Uhh, thanks,
but no thanks”). Not only did she pick up a sport mid-semester senior year that
she hadn’t played or trained for in nearly 4 years, but she jumped right into
the busiest part of our travel schedule! If I didn’t know how smart she was I
might have thought she was a bit cookoo. Nevertheless, she came to practice
every day (yes, her classes coincided perfectly with our practices…go figure)
with a smile on her face and quippy one-liners that made long practices and
tiresome road trips really enjoyable! Luckily, she will still be around Duke
next year to complete, what she calls “a victory lap” at the Fuqua
Business School.
Speaking of
victory laps, our captain and other senior, Mary Clayton, will also be around
next fall finishing up her last semester of undergraduate classes. Though she’d
never admit it, the success and perseverance DWT showed in trying times were a
direct result of her leadership. She refused to let adversity on court seep
into our lives off court. Mare taught us all the importance of enjoying and
valuing the process and the people you meet along the way. She truly embodies
everything you could hope for in an upperclassman.
To an
outsider, our season may look disappointing and filled with one unlucky break
after another. However, looking back on it now with a fresh perspective, it’s
not the hard times that define this season, but rather the people we survived
it all with. It's people like Mimsie, Nicole, Mare and the rest of the team that
make DWT something worth fighting for, no matter the obstacles in our way. We
WILL be back next season stronger (and healthier) than ever! We look forward to
seeing everyone out at the matches. Thank you so much for the wonderful support throughout the season. I hope you all enjoy
the summer (don’t melt away) and we’ll SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
GO DUKE!
Annie and the rest of DWT
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