Diary

Jamie
Chan

Past Entries

May 27, 2004

Mission: Accomplished! We've captured the 2004 NCAA national women's tennis championship! After months of sweat, tears, and hard work, our awesome team has once again proved that we're No. 1. Two of our team goals for this season were to "enjoy the journey" and, of course, win. I am pleased to report that we have successfully accomplished those goals in addition to many others.

The week before nationals was filled with many activities that kept us busy. Final exams, presentations, research papers, and packing were a few of the not-so-fun activities. Fortunately, those were buffeted by more enjoyable ones such as a relaxing cookout at Coach Amy's charming house, a scrumptious dinner and delectable dessert at M.E.'s house, a Braves game, and movies. We also spent plenty of time on the courts fine-tuning certain aspects of our games to prepare us for our competition at nationals.

This year, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to travel with all three of our assistant coaches -- Marc, Glen, and Julie -- in addition to our head coach, Amy. While we greatly appreciated their added insight to the game, we also enjoyed watching how their unique, individual personalities complemented our team. We could always count on Glen and Marc to provide us with encouraging words as well as comic relief during the trip, and Julie to chauffeur us to TCBY and keep us calm and focused on the court.

Although Glen and Marc almost missed our flight to Memphis (due to an unforeseen traffic accident), all 12 Eagles landed safely in the hometown of "The King." As we stepped off of the plane, we were greeted by a very warm gust of air. However, we were prepared for the warm Tennessee weather because we had trained in HOTlanta. As we waited for Amy and Julie to pick up the rental van, we cooled ourselves down by taking sips of water from the decorated, candy-filled Nalgene water bottles each of us were given (courtesy of Julie), and by standing in front of the sliding glass doors to take advantage of the cool blast of AC.

After we loaded up the van and mini-van, we headed to the hotel and arrived after only a few U-Turn trips through random parking lots. After we settled into our rooms and unpacked, we headed to Corky's Bar-B-Que to fill our stomachs with some good 'ol southern cooking. We left Corky's fully satisfied and further enlightened in the language of the South. (Thanks to Petie, "slaw!" became one of our key words that week.)

On Tuesday, we practiced at Rhodes, and then headed back to the hotel where some of us swam, laid out by the pool, slept, ran, or watched T.V. That night, we attended an opening banquet and had the privilege of hearing a speech delivered by Dave Wottle, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Rhodes, and a gold medalist in the 800m race in the 1972 Munich Olympics. His challenge to us was inspirational and enhanced by the fact that each of us was allowed to hold his gold medal. What an awesome feeling it was to cradle an Olympic gold medal in the palm of my hand! His speech further encouraged my desire to strive for the first place finish at nationals.

East met West in our first day of competition as we were matched up against University of Redlands (CA). During our warmup, Lindsay, Amanda, and Katherine arrived to complete our team. (After their final exams, they had spent some time with their families before joining us at nationals.) I'm glad each of them could join us because each team member plays an integral part in our success as a team.

Although it was supposed to rain that day, and the rest of the week, the weather was cooperating with us and allowed all three doubles matches to be completed, with Emory dominating each one. However, midway through the singles matches, the heavens opened up and showered us with rain, forcing us to move indoors. M.E., Marge, Carina, and Richie swept their matches in straight sets while Jolyn and I were unfortunately cut short in our second sets because the lights were turned off. (Jolyn was ahead in her match at 6-3, 5-0 and I was ahead 6-1, 5-2, 40-love, and serving for match point.) We ended the match 7-0, without losing a set.

On the second day of competition, we were slated to face Washington & Lee University (VA), as they sought to avenge their loss to us in the finals of last year's nationals. Once again, the rains thwarted our chances of playing the match outside, so we took on the Generals indoors. Doubles set the tone of the match as M.E. and Jolyn totally rocked their opponents. Richie and I followed their example and didn't give our opponents an inch. Likewise, Marge and Carina defeated their opponents in a thrilling match complete with amazing angle volleys and smash overheads. Throughout our singles matches, the support of our teammates and families helped carry us through to a 5-0 team victory.

For our final match, we were indoors again, and Amherst College (MA) was our challenger. We were more than ready for them. Because our match was at 2 p.m., we took an early morning jog around the hotel while dodging mud puddles and leaping over wayward tree branches. Crewmen from CBS filmed our jog and synchronized stretching. They then filmed us as we got our competitive juices flowing in our Second Annual Name Game tournament. (During the game, Lindsay learned that "Marie Antoinette" was NOT a nurse, associated with the Red Cross, or an author. We also enjoyed Marc's impersonations of Elvis and Marie Antoinette.)

Prepared for our match, we arrived at the courts ready to warm up, but were surprised to see Williams (MA) and W & L still on the courts battling for third place. Finally, after a somewhat confusing game of Mafia and a few hours of waiting around, three courts opened up and we were allowed to begin the doubles matches while Williams and W & L continued their nail-biting struggle.

Our army of fans, including the Lais, Gordons, Taylors, Mr. Alberelli, Marge's dad, Marge's brother and his wife, Emily Warburg, and my parents joined Lindsay, Amanda, Breana, Glen, and Marc to cheer us on to victory. Once again, doubles played an important factor in the match. As we swept all three doubles matches, we gained tremendous momentum as we headed into the six singles matches.

Unfortunately, because we were indoors, the spectators were forced to view the matches from behind a tinted glass enclosure. However, that did not stop our enthusiastic fans and energetic teammates from letting their cheers and presence be made known. With the constant waving of pom poms, glass-pounding, and excited cheers we heard coming from our teammates, our seniors, M.E. and Marge, sealed our victory with two dominating wins! Tears came to my eyes as the realization hit me…WE HAD WON NATIONALS!

Soon, parents and friends were streaming onto the court to take pictures and congratulate us. We took a countless number of pictures with the trophy, without the trophy, as a team, with parents, and even while wearing Elvis-like glasses (much thanks to Amy's mom). It truly was a sweet victory.

That night, we attended the closing ceremony banquet where Mary Ellen was honored with the "Senior Player of the Year" award and Carina's awesome season this year earned her the national award of "Player to Watch." The dinner provided by Rhodes was once again delicious, and the dessert bar consisting of fruit fondue was absolutely finger-licking good. Richie, the incredible, bottomless eating machine, enjoyed the dessert so much that she downed three plates piled high with chocolate covered fruit after two servings of dinner.

Mary Ellen, one of our senior captains, and perhaps the most decorated athlete to ever grace the halls and tennis courts of Emory, will leave us with many fond memories. Her graceful yet dominating style of play and quiet, gentle nature will be greatly missed by all of us. Thank you, M.E., for all that you have contributed to our team throughout the years. As you make your way in the world, may your future accomplishments outnumber your many tennis accomplishments (if possible).

Likewise, Margaret, another senior captain, will always be remembered as a soft-spoken, focused individual who could always let out a roaring burp on command, and hit any volley that came her way. Her steadiness and reserved, competitive spirit made her a force to be reckoned with on the tennis court. Her athletic success greatly mirrors her success in academics. Thank you, Marge, for leading by example, and good luck as you further your education at Emory's prestigious medical school.

I wish our graduating seniors the best of luck as they leave the college world and head out into the future. I am confident that each of their accomplishments on the tennis court will only lead to greater things in the future.

On behalf of the team, I would like to thank Coach Amy for her patience and expert coaching, our assistant coaches, parents, and supporters for making this an incredible journey I will never forget. I look forward to another extraordinary season next year!

Jamie Chan is a sophomore from Lakeland, Fla. She would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.