As time goes on since the season unraveled, it feels all the more futile as the entire world continues unraveling as well. To be honest, I long for the days where most of my emotional energy was going towards D3 Tennis. And as I’ve been saying on Twitter, those days feel like many months ago, even though it was only like two weeks. But, I know I’m not the only one who feels that way, and so in the interest of providing a small diversion from the steady stream of bad news, here are a few more submissions I received from readers with their thoughts on the end of the season.
“I got news from our coach about the eligibility rules for next season. Although I don’t think a ton of student-athletes will take advantage of the extra season they are being rewarded because of these extraneous circumstances, I think it is great that the NCAA is giving athletes this opportunity. I think as far as incoming freshman (class of 2020), it’s mostly a positive situation. Sure, you may not play as high or get as much time as you would have liked if a senior(s) decide to stick around, but I think that brings a lot more to the table as well.
Seniors have been exposed to a lot of college tennis and bring a lot of experience and advice. I think if it affects your playing time by a little bit your freshman year, then you have three more years to shine and that’s fine and these seniors deserve it anyway! As far as recruiting goes, I had the option to pretty much choose any of the DIII schools I wanted to go to. I think that nobody really looks as their freshman year to decide whether or not that team is going to be a good fit for them. I wanted to go a team where I could compete all four years and the team would grow over time. I also chose a team that had a strong future and was young, so adding a few key older players adds some expertise and experience. I don’t think recruits choose a school based on their freshman year position and chances at a title. You choose a school where you think you can compete all four years. Either way, your team is going to put your best 6 players on the court to give yourself the best chance they can to win. Giving players an extra year just makes a team stronger. I think it’ll be really fun to have guys for an extra year. It just means more time with your teammates and stronger teams.”
– Class of 2020 Recruit for a top D3 Program
“It has taken me a while to sit down and write this. To try to describe feelings that are so unexpected has a tough thing to do. For me, it often comes in waves, the realization that I won’t be able to compete for my college again this season. One minute it seems to be business as usual, almost as if the season is simply delayed and not canceled. The next, a recognition of sadness and disappointment that the build-up and hard work leading up to this moment, seems to be for nothing. What do I say to the seniors that will never get the chance to play for the university again? Only weeks ago, they stepped off the court of their last match, of their last practice, without even knowing it. There was so much left to accomplish, so many more memories to make.
I heard once that sports can be a means of escape. When you are on the court, everything else seems insignificant. The only thing that matters to us, at that very moment, is to get that little ball over the net. What hurts so much is the universe seemingly showing us how insignificant our passion is. We are shown the harsh reality that our world outside of tennis is more important. Our means of escape has just been ripped out from under our feet.
The reality we are living seems to be harsh and unforgiving, but that does not mean we are to shake our finger at the sky and cry out “Why me?”. The first thought that surprisingly brings me comfort is that some situations are out of our hands. The outbreak was not done by our rival school to ensure we don’t get the joy of having success this season. We are in the same boat as our rivals, teammates, and the whole world. Everyone is experiencing a similar pain we are.
Another thing that I try to remember is to constantly put things into perspective. As unfortunate of an ending as it was to our seasons, there are people that must deal with far worse repercussions than us. People are losing their jobs, unable to pay rent, unable to get food, and provide for their family. I think the privileged position to be a collegiate tennis player should not be forgotten. How significant is our problem in the big scheme of things? However, this is not to invalidate people’s feelings. Everyone has different experiences and is entitled to feel however they want. This is just a simple reminder that it could be much worse. There is always a silver lining.
Although they are not how we originally intended, we will still make memories through isolation and sport less time. There are still moments to enjoy and opportunities to better ourselves, even if it is not on the court. What we do when faced with adversity is what will define us. As tennis players, we are naturally resilient. I have no doubt that as a community, we will bounce back and have a newfound appreciation for every future moment on the court.”
–Richie Abruscato, Stevenson University junior
I’m going to round out this series with a few quick, rambling thoughts from myself. First, feel free to keep the thoughts coming in the comment section. If there’s enough to warrant it, I’ll keep doing posts, but understandably D3 Tennis and the feelings of the season ending so abruptly seem to be fading right now. With a few weeks to digest everything now, I am still very bummed we don’t have any tennis to follow, but I’m also incredibly grateful to be a part of this D3 Tennis community even without any actual tennis going on. As we all do our very best to isolate ourselves, it’s been nice to hear from so many people and just share experiences of this unique time. That goes for players, parents, coaches, and also my fellow Bloggers. The Blog groupchat has been a particularly welcome source of diversion, and though there’s still some coronavirus talk, I’ve never been happier to discuss the new Childish Gambino and The Weeknd albums and which tennis players have had the best social media presences during this time (Alex De Minaur, Stan Wawrinka, but by far #1 is Kristie Ahn).
Hopefully we still manage to crank out some more content over the coming days and weeks—I know I certainly hope to make it happen. Love you all, and #StayTheFHome.
Seasons are starting up.Things are looking juicy. Are you guys covering 2021 season or no?
Give us some power ranking predictions for this season or the next season. Or at least give us an idea of what teams will be good in near future! keep us updated!
Any notable coaching changes or transfers?
Can you guys do team ranking predictions for next season? Just some content. doesn’t need to be accurate. just something to post and for people to read?
Excellent thoughts from Richie of Stevenson. Wise words from that young dude.
I’m still gonna try for a May tournament…maybe create some content for ya.