Keeping The Winning Tradition Alive

KENTUCKY TEAM DOESN’T BUCKLE UNDER PRESSURE

By Jennifer Pollack and Amanda Tobin/USTA Southern

When it comes to thriving under pressure, this Sr. Men’s 4.0 team from Louisville, KY, knows how to get the job done on the court. Since the team formed in 1998, these men have won seven out of 11 State championships.

However, the road to the championships each year was not easy, especially at the 2008 State and USTA League Section Championships, where the team played seven third-set tiebreaks. Losing any one of them would have put them out of the tournament and cost the team its bid to the League Section Championships. The men won all seven of them in a heroic effort.

In addition, this year in the State tournament, they played nine tiebreaks and won six of them. This team definitely seems able to overcome the pressure of tiebreaks when the tension heats up. When asked about his team’s success in tiebreaks, team captain, Joe Hampton, stated, “We feel that anytime we enter into a tiebreaker, we are going to win the match. It’s a matter of expectation, and we expect to win.” His advice to his team members is to “slowup, hit more second serves and don’t go for the gun.” Obviously, his advice is working.

As for the team’s continuous success in the finals of the State tournament, Hampton credits it to a lot of luck and knowing his team to the point where he can matchup players that compliment each other. Once the players are matched, he believes it is best to not alter the pairs and to let them develop a rapport throughout the season. This Kentucky team loves the excitement of that last match on the final day with everyone watching and cheering.

Furthermore, the team’s longevity and consistent results are due to the older members sacrificing their amount of match play during the season in order to let younger members compete and use their youth to the team’s advantage. The older players usually volunteer to pass the torch on to the next generation; however, if they do not choose to step down gracefully, they normally aren’t are the team for much longer. According to Hampton, all of the members understand that they are not just playing for themselves, but for the entire team. New players are added based on word-of-mouth recommendations to ensure that they will fit into this unique group of men.

While this team enjoys the competition and the glory of victory, they appreciate coming to the tournaments to experience all what the host city has to offer. Now the team is ready to take it to the next level and qualify for Nationals for the first time in its 11-year stint.