Today, the Owls clinched our first Condor League tennis title with a 10-8 victory against the Cate School. The match was full of surprises, upsets, comebacks, and excellent play all around, so it was a fitting way for us to win the title. Continue reading “Laguna Blanca Clinches First Condor League Title”
Laguna Beats Cate for the First Time!
It’s been a long time coming. In my four years coaching the Laguna Blanca boys’ tennis team we’ve experienced our fair share of frustration at the hands of the Cate tennis team. What happened yesterday was definitely one of the best moments I’ve had as a coach and a member of a tennis team. Continue reading “Laguna Beats Cate for the First Time!”
Owls beat Nordoff + Photo-tour of a Laguna Warm-up
Today Laguna played a very young Nordoff High tennis team and came away with a 16-2 victory. Ben Furukawa, Tristan Prinz, and Phillip Hicks led the way, dropping only two games total in a clean sweep of the singles sets. In doubles, Eddie Conk and Benji Sorensen got a win against Nordoff’s number one and then Eddie and new addition Conrad Perry picked up two more wins. At number two doubles, Jack Espy and Martin Barnick scored a dominant 6-0 victory in the first round, before Brendon Nylen paired with Martin for a solid 3-6 effort, followed by a 6-0 win in the third round. Freshman Atty Roddick and Senior Justin Palmer added two of three at the third doubles spot.
It was another joyous victory to be sure, but I also had the opportunity to document part of what goes on before we start the matches: the infamous Owl warm-up. So, without further delay, a photo-tour of what goes on before every practice and every match. Continue reading “Owls beat Nordoff + Photo-tour of a Laguna Warm-up”
Early Wins for Laguna Blanca Tennis in 2013
Well, the 2013 Laguna Boys’ season is finally underway and off to a good start.
We scored a 12-6 win against Orcutt Academy last week that featured a clean sweep from our singles guys (Ben Furukawa, Tristan Prinz, and Phillip Hicks). In addition, Jack Espy and Martin Barnick were in fine form, chipping in two wins and playing the number one team close. I know how hard all five of those guys have been working since last spring so I expected them to play well, but it’s still exciting for me to see them get off to a successful start. Continue reading “Early Wins for Laguna Blanca Tennis in 2013”
Summary of 2011-2012 School Year + Summer
It’s been quite a while between updates on the Thorpe Tennis blog, but it certainly hasn’t been an uneventful time out on the courts.
After a rough girls’ season over at Cate, some of the girls are looking ready to make another run at the playoffs this coming year. I’m excited to see what a healthy Marina Narain can do as a senior and if our last few court sessions are any indicator, Mady Snider is looking very dangerous coming into her final season. I’m also looking forward to seeing what all the hard work Kate Dehlendorf and I have put into her game over the last year will yield.
On the boys’ side, I’ve been working very hard with a number of players who are really turning the corner. It’s hard to pick a few guys to mention because there are really quite a few working hard and making gains. In particular, Jack Espy, Martin Barnick, Benji Sorensen, and Ben Furukawa have shown some real progression. Ben just recently won the K&W Junior Satellite Classic in San Diego without dropping a set and has been finishing in the top two of most of the local club tournaments all summer.
My younger students are also showing great promise. Alex Furukawa has performed well in local tournaments this summer and Daniel Newton made a strong showing in his tournament debut (much better than my 0-10 start when I was his age!!!). These two and a few others I teach are all headed to Laguna Blanca for high school, so this is 2x good news to me! I’m making a prediction for the future of the Condor League now: Laguna will be the dominant force and it’s coming soon.
Lately, I have been thinking about how important it is to show improvement over time, especially to those that improve. Sometimes it can be hard to see one’s own progression because it happens one day at a time, whereas, looking from the outside (perhaps a parents perspective, watching matches occasionally), change is evident immediately. One way I intend to do this is through more video analysis and archiving, but I also hope to pick this blog back up again. The future is bright and it’s important to celebrate and make note as things unfold.
Braemar Summer Jr. Satellite
Well, it’s been another successful week for Thorpe Tennis. The weather was warm and some played quite a few matches in the Braemar Satellite one-weekend tournament. By the end of the weekend, the group was able to bring home the runner-up trophy in the Boys’ 14’s age-group, and the champions’ trophy in Boys’ 16’s doubles. Here’s how it happend: Continue reading “Braemar Summer Jr. Satellite”Laguna Blanca Boys’ Tennis Ends 7-Year Drought
Today, for the first time since 2004, the Laguna Blanca Boys’ Tennis Team defeated the Thacher School in a very close match. Troy Ritter (Thorpe Tennis) swept his singles matches and the doubles duo of Alex Greer and Alex Shirokow-Louden (both also from Thorpe Tennis) won all three in doubles. Continue reading “Laguna Blanca Boys’ Tennis Ends 7-Year Drought”Braemar Junior Satellite
This weekend marks the first of what I hope will be many tournament trips with my high school tennis students. The Braemar Junior Satellite was attended by Marina Narain, Mady Snider, and Troy Ritter all of whom posted some impressive results.
Troy was competing in his first USTA tournament and won his first match in the B16’s division with a score of 6-3, 6-1. Later Saturday evening, he played a tough match against eventual champion Jeremy Wacker and fell 6-4, 6-3.Troy was happy to have the experience under his belt and looks forward to more success as he transitions from basketball to tennis season this week for the Laguna Blanca Owls.
Marina Narain was another first time USTA tournament player this weekend, and she is off to an impressive start. Over the weekend, Marina won four matches en-route to winning the G16’s division. She began her tournament with a close three-set match against the top seeded player in her draw and continued to build confidence in the following matches.
Mady Snider is no stranger to the USTA junior circuit, but it’s been a while since she’s been a regular. With a renewed sense of purpose, Mady took out the top seed in her draw with a barrage of winners and followed that win with another Sunday evening to win the G18’s tournament. She looks forward to building confidence in her rally-ball in preparation for the next tournament trip, where we will be headed to Santa Monica.
Thorpe Tennis finished the Braemar JR Satellite with a 7-1 match record and will next be in action at the Dudley Cup the first two weekends of April.
Thorpe Tennis 