“The Tale of the
Eagle: Emory Men’s Tennis Spring Break 2012”
This Spring
break I was fortunate enough to be a part of a group of world-class traveling
men, otherwise known as the Emory University men’s tennis team. With us were
our fearless leaders: coach Browning, Redmond, and Chun and we were set to
embark on a journey to unknown lands to search for the nectar of sweet, sweet
victory. While this endeavor seemed distant from our current foothold in
Atlanta, we set off on a long journey to Oahu, Hawaii as our first destination
for the trials of competition. I along with many of my comrades had never been
to this part of the United States, and we were delighted to have the
opportunity to visit Oahu, “The Gathering Place”, made available only through
fundraising from generous donors and family. After ten hours, three movies, and
two books, I was in Hawaii. The journey in itself had provided the team-bonding
atmosphere that I dream about a night, and it was only the first day. We still
had matches to win. After we settled in our hotel at the lush Aqua Palms and
after I had established myself as the alpha male in room 422, we had a team
event in which we discussed the expedition in front of us. As always for us,
winning tennis matches comes before anything else. Before we knew it the day of
battle was upon us and the battering winds and threatening clouds proved
daunting. Mental stability, patience, and perseverance allowed us to triumph
over opponents from BYU-Hawaii, 7-2. It was a test of desire, and in the end I
was proud of all of our men who came out to fight in an effort to solidify us
as legitimate title contenders. For the remainder of our stay in Hawaii we
encountered the beauty of the island first hand with adventures such as hiking,
bodysurfing, and shark dodging. I felt I was in Jurassic Park. Before I knew
it, we were off to California. Hawaii had served as an appetizer for our
voracious desire to win, and we were on to play California Lutheran University
in preparations for the Stag-Hen tournament. Reeling from our previous win in
the middle of the Pacific, we came out firing and our insatiable aspiration for
victory was temporarily quenched with an 8-1 victory over the Kingsmen. It was
a great victory for our men, and in spots, it was some of the best tennis we
had played all year. However, there was much room for improvement and the
Stag-Hen would serve as the canvas for our incessant paintbrushes. First up was
Skidmore. As favorites we came out and dominated, uniting as a team in tenacious
fashion, taking the contest 9-0, and I truly felt our boys looked hungry and
humble. Later that day, under the peril of imminent rain and thunder, we were
matched up against Kenyon. We had battled this team before and come out
victorious, but we knew we must not take them lightly. In the beginning we
faltered, but our team unity and overall level of competition allowed us to
recover to an undeniable victory, putting us in the finals. On the final day,
it was a washout, but I was proud to have experienced such a sublime voyage
with men I am proud to call teammates. This proved to be an important step in
the process toward the final goal, an NCAA Championship, and seeing the courage
and resolve within each of our men, I am confident with where we are headed.
Signing off for now.
Elliot Kahler
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