By Laurel Landon, Guest Blogger | September 1, 2019
As a new league season is underway, here are some things I’ve learned the hard way from captaining and being captained for 20+ years. If you don’t agree with any of them, feel free to ignore.
- When your captain asks you to register or asks about your availability, respond promptly. It’s no fun to have to chase people down.
- When giving your availability for a match, include a short explanation. There’s a big difference between “I’m out of the country” and “I have a hair appointment” if there is a forfeit situation.
- Don’t be that player that makes a lot of demands like saying who you will and won’t play with. Be flexible and willing to sacrifice for the team. (But don’t say you’re willing to do whatever the captain asks you to do and then get upset when they actually ask you to do it!)
- Be a gracious winner. Many of us have had our butts beat by Andrea Mercer but we leave the court feeling better about our game than when we started. That’s graciousness.
- Be a gracious loser. Don’t blame your partner, your captain or the weather. Just sincerely congratulate your opponents, learn what you can, and move on with life.
- If you want to switch teams, that is fine. You are not eternally stuck on a team just because you played on it before. It is nice, however, to tell your current captain your plans before they find out from others. A “thank you” for all of their hard work would be nice too.
- Have fun!!!
The bottom line is sometimes we have to decide if it’s more important to be a better person or a better tennis player. If we choose the latter, we have, as my pastor says, lost the plot line.
Have a great season everyone!