Well it seems it is that time of year again where the blog begins to ramp up. We already have FIVE season previews out this week with many more coming as the days pass. I somehow have convinced the powers that be to let me skip doing any previews at all this season which is a Christmas miracle. With my recent unveiling of who I really am this past summer, my role at the blog will be slightly different. While I will miss doing the match by match assessments, tournament previews, and other parts of the old job, I have some exciting new plans for this upcoming year. While I am still centrally located, I do look forward to making it out to quite a few D3 matches to see as many teams play as I possibly can. This would include my first ever trip to indoors and a hopeful trek down to Tennessee for nationals. So feel free to come up and chat if you like. I could talk about D3 tennis all day and all night if you let me. You can also message me through twitter (@D3Centraltennis) or email (d3centraltennis@gmail.com) as well. I have an ongoing conversation with none other than Wade Heerboth about reality TV shows Survivor and Big Brother. We don’t even talk about D3 tennis other than remembering the time he and teammate Rob Turlington took down my Earlham duo in the ITA doubles final with Rob serving underhand. Enough of the logistics, here is a quick run down of what I have in store for you this season.
Coaching/Program Interviews: One of the things that I am looking forward to most is talking with coaches across the country to give them a chance to talk about their programs, the state of D3 tennis, highlight a few past, present and future accomplishments, and pick their brains about their own philosophy. While I am out of the coaching game for a few years now, I still admire D3 coaches and understand what kind of impact they have on young men/women’s lives. There is a small chance that I will try to make this as a Podcast, but I am technologically limited so any advice in that area would be fantastic. So far the slate of coaches who have signed up include Cal Tech, Colby, Wabash, Whitewater, Linfield, Wesleyan, CMS, Coe, and Sewanee. If you would like to get some positive publicity and participate, please get in touch with me. Don’t just think I will be focusing on teams we do a lot of coverage on or just the Central region. Any and all teams are teams are welcome. I would even welcome player interviews as long as the coach approves. It could be a great recruiting tool, but at the very least a way to showcase what you and your school has to offer.
Central’s Corner: I am not in love with the title of this article, but am in love with some of the topics that I plan to cover. This forum will be a chance for me to vocalize my thoughts about D3 tennis. The first articles will be a little series that I am calling, “How to build a winning program in D3 tennis.” By no means am I saying that I am the expert in developing a program, but I do have experience in doing so. I was fortunate enough to be hired as a 24 year old extremely unqualified college coach at Earlham College inheriting a winless team way back in 2008 and transformed them into a nationally ranked conference champion in just five years. It didn’t happen by accident and I surely made mistakes along the way, but it was a well thought out process that could be duplicated at any school that doesn’t have the advantages that the powerhouses do. For the blog historians, you know that I have always been an advocate for the lesser known programs because I used to be one of them (both as a player at Wabash and a coach at Earlham). That passion will never change! I hope to cover important topics like recruiting, scheduling, match preparation, setting a doubles/singles lineup, and other aspects of managing and starting a program to develop a tradition of winning. The goal of this series is to prove that it can be done anywhere and even provide a dialogue for other coaches to chime in as to what works for them. Once the series is complete, my hope is to discuss relevant hot button topics throughout the year. Feel free to ask for specific things to be discussed. I really look forward to this and think it can add some significant discussion to be had by all.
Throwback Thursday: This one is going to be a quick and fun reminder of some of the epic matches that have gone on in the past 10 years of the blog’s existence. Each week I will pick a match, repost the box score, and provide a little commentary of the significance of the match. We have had some incredible upsets, epic score lines, and memorable results that should never be forgotten. I hope that #TBT will be a great way to remember those times.
Top 10 Lists: This article is one that I hope to be a bit whimsical. When most people thing of a Top 10 list, they will probably think this will be about who is the best coach, who has the best facilities, who has the best academics, etc. That is not what my goal is for this type of an article. Instead, I want to focus in on the lighter side of D3 tennis and make lists like Best hair, best name in D3 tennis, oddest mascot, etc. I am open to suggestions to other topics as my comedic and creative juices are lacking, but it could be a nice distraction from the intensity of matches week in and week out.
So that is a brief synopsis of what I will be up to this coming season. I will still participate in the great articles like Draft Kings for Indoors, the fantasy team, weekly power rankings as well as add in my two cents for big time Central region match-ups, but I have free reign to post articles that I want to talk about. That is a dangerous proposition, but one that I covet to the highest degree. No one is safe from the wrath (not even you Coach Hale). All jokes aside, I want to promote the strength of D3 tennis and all the positive things that come from it. It has had a profound impact on the lives of many (myself included) and the people responsible for that impact are the coaches and teammates. They need to be celebrated at all levels from the powerhouse schools all the way down to the Earlham College’s of the world. D3 tennis provides a place for everyone to play and that is why it is such an amazing experience.
I am looking forward to another great season filled with drama, blogger meet ups probably involving tacos, and competitive banter!
This necessary different approach to blogging D3 tennis is exactly why I didn’t want The Headmaster’s secret identity revealed. Even though we all know he graduated from Emory, we can at least pretend he didn’t
I’m confused as to what you’re saying. Do you like this new reveal and articles? We’re taking feedback from everyone. I think Adams reveal presents us with a broader range of opportunities especially since Midwest is taking his place in the Central for all the old stuff. It really should be a great year for us. Anyways, would love to know your thoughts.
Also, I didn’t graduate from Emory
I believe it does give a new perspective that adds to the reader’s experience of the blog. And it helps that D3Midwest takes his place. Should be another great year of blogging.
But I believe the effect would have been different if your identity was revealed, if you planned to continue with your current role as Headmaster that is. The blog does a great job at providing honest and seemingly unbiased coverage of all the different players and teams. If you have a strong background with one of the major teams that you cover then that will be taken into account when readers weigh your reviews of different players. I would have less respect for a blogger’s opinion on my team if I knew they graduated from a rival school. I would also take that background into account when they review their own team.
Adam’s team or rival teams don’t get a lot of coverage (no offense Adam) on the blog so this isn’t much of a factor for him if he chooses to give team previews/recaps once again. If your case is similar then it is fine. But if you have a strong background with one of the major teams you cover, and that becomes known to the readers, then I feel it will take away from the player/team analysis you give on all the different teams in the ASouth.
I have always been curious of the identity of the person who has been giving me such a hard time all these years, haha. But some things are best left unknown.
Sorry to diverge away from the topic of your article Adam
There really isn’t a need for me to reply to this as it has been semi resolved, but I do feel I need to stand up for my previous writings. If you are an avid blog follower, which you are, I think you would tend to think that I am not biased. If anything, my bias has been to the lesser known teams like Oberlin which happens to be a huge rival to Wabash. You might be right in that it is easier for me to be unbiased since the teams I “represent” are not in the national conversation, but I take pride in being just as critical of teams like Chicago who I respect deeply as I am of teams like NC Wesleyan who I have had beef with for various things.