Tennis: The Coach Wore New Underwear

In early June, Dartmouth's most successful team of the year, the women's tennis team, traveled to California to compete in the Small College Nationals at Santa Barbara. We asked Coach Chris Clark to keep a journal of the trip, which, in spite of certain odds, she did. The trip was a tremendous success, she says: "Most apparent was our fourth-place finish as a team, plus three of the women gaining all-America honors. This was a sizable accomplishment when one considers that 18 of the best small-college teams in the country competed. Less obvious but also important is the sense of pride and accumulation of experience and the memories we shared as a team."

TUESDAY, JUNE 6: If beautiful weather was an indicator for a good trip, all systems indicated "go" as six players and one coach met in the early evening at Logan Airport for our direct flight to L.A. Although everyone was a bit tired from a hectic term, the last day of final exams, and "summer good-byes," our enthusiasm sounded like a broken record repeating "I don't believe we're going to California!" After boarding the plane, we all settled down to the important decisions of the moment: What could we have forgotten? Was it worth paying 52.50 for earphones for the soundtrack of The Choirboys?

We arrived in Santa Barbara Airport at 10:00 p.m. (1:00 a.m. our time). Of course, traveling as a group for one week would not be without its ups and downs, and we confronted our first "down" rather early. While I was obtaining our rental station wagon to take us to the Westmount College campus, one of the players relayed the good news that precious little of our luggage had arrived.

At 2:30 a.m. Eastern time the seven of us checked into our dorm rooms with no luggage, and, since we were one of the first teams to arrive, no one to borrow from. Our first night in California was an austere one in a stripped-down dorm with no pajamas, toothbrushes, or familiar belongings. And, a certain coach was somewhat sleepless with the thought of an entire tennis team getting ready to compete in a national tournament with no tennis clothes, sneakers, and other necessary paraphernalia.

Wednesday: Today was reserved for team arrivals, practice, and initial meetings for players and coaches in the evening. I awoke early to play tennis with one of the coaches and discovered a mound of luggage outside our rooms. However, the welcome sight was short-lived as I discovered that all the bags were there except mine. A speedy call to the airport indicated that they had no idea where my bag could be and perhaps I should purchase a few essentials in the meantime. Little did I know that my wardrobe for the next three days would consist of what I wore on the plane, plus one pair of track shorts, three new Fruit-of-the-Loom T-shirts, and new underwear. By popular vote of all the coaches, I was to earn the dubious distinction of best-dressed coach of the tournament.

We practiced for an hour and a half in the afternoon, made a short visit to the town of Santa Barbara, and returned for an early dinner. We agreed to another hour of informal practice after dinner and before the meetings. Since it was an informal "hitting" session, I receded into the background to listen and watch the girls interact. In no time, Jody Awad, a freshman with a terrific sense of humor, had taken over as Coach Clark. It is both amusing and revealing to watch a player role-play the coach, using what she perceives to be your personal gestures and phrases. By the end of the session, they were all laughing loudly at Coach Awad - myself included.

At 8:00 p.m., when the meetings began, one could sense the teams' excitement as the procedures of play were explained to the players and coaches. Essentially, nine tournaments would be played: six singles flights and three doubles flights with a feed-in consolation out to the semi-finals. Since most of the women were playing both singles and doubles, one could easily see that every team member would be playing a good deal of tennis. We were also informed of some unfortunate logistical news: The tournament would have to be conducted at three different sites, all of them a good 20 to 30 minutes apart by car. The coaches glumly accepted the prospect of spending most of the succeeding three days chauffeuring players back and forth to matches at three locations: University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara City College, and Westmount College. Default times would have to be relaxed, and a lot of patience shown by everyone.

The players left for their rooms, and the coaches continued to meet over the unpleasant but necessary open discussion of seedings in each flight. Finally, at 2:30 in the morning, with the draws completed for the next day's play, we hurried to bed.

Thursday: Opening day was perhaps the most difficult. From 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., players and coaches traveled to and from matches. As a further complication, the home headquarters at Westmont College had few phones and few services. To obtain most things, one had to arrange for transportation into town, a ten-minute drive away. Jody Awad presented me with several small crises immediately: a broken string, ill-fitting tennis shoes, and to top it off she had no travelers checks or cash!

Still no luggage for the coach and I have to admit that I was getting very bored with my single pair of track shorts and white T- shirts. But, sustaining us through all the hassles of the first day was the knowledge that Dartmouth was doing extremely well. In fact, by the end of the day, we had won all of our singles and doubles matches. We were in first or second place and surprising teams from the southern states and California.

Friday: This' was the longest day of our trip, with matches beginning at 8:30 a.m. and finishing at 7:00 p.m.; meals were bought on the run and many miles put on the car.

We were playing excellent tennis. Thayer Wendell, Pam Banholzer, Alison Hibbert, Muffy Rogers, and Sue Podolsky were still alive in their singles flights, and the doubles teams of Banholzer-Hibbert and Rogers-Podolsky were continuing to win.

After a late dinner, I had the good fortune to learn that my bag had finally been located! This involved a drive to Santa Barbara Airport for an hour and a half of paperwork since the luggage was recovered in unsatisfactory condition. Then back to campus for a late coaches meeting until 1:00 a.m.

Saturday: Players, no matter how talented or tournament-tested, will experience considerable nervousness as competition intensifies towards the finals. The anxieties are most apparent in little things: Picture one of the players stepping into a soft juicy mound of pink bubble gum, fumbling helplessly to scrape it off the bottom of her sneakers, to the point where she is now trying to convince us all that she won't be able to play her match.

However, athletes learn to overcome their jitters and concentrate on the task at hand. I'm proud to say that the team did exactly that on this crucial day. Thayer Wendell won the #1 singles flight consolation, Pam Banholzer was runner-up at #3, Alison Hibbert runner-up at #4, and Muffy Rogers won the #5 flight singles. In the doubles, Banholzer-Hibbert were semi- finalists in the #2 flight doubles consolation, and Podolsky-Rogers won the #3 flight doubles consolation.

As the matches came to a close around 7:30 p.m., total team scores were computed and our fourth-place finish confirmed. We drove back to Westmont to receive our trophy, and Hibbert, Banholzer and Rogers received their all-America certificates.

We celebrated at a quaint little restaurant in Santa Barbara. By this time, I was hoping for a quiet evening in my dorm room. However, it seems that sometime during the course of the previous week, I had mentioned to the women that I "might" take them to an amusement park. I quickly learned that "might" means "will" to six keyed-up players, so off we went to the amusement park. Close to losing my dinner while being turned upsidedown and inside-out on the horrendous rides, I developed the utmost respect for my players' inner constitutions.

Sunday: The competition completed and feeling very happy about our performance, we could now look forward to an entire day of unwinding and relaxing before our departure on Monday. The women were tired and slept until late morning while I played tennis with the other coaches.

The early afternoon was spent at the beach lounging and walking along the ocean. We would have lingered into the early evening except for an invitation to a late afternoon barbecue and tennis party held in our honor by Jo Etta and Jim McClintock '44 at the Norwood Country Club.

The party stands out as a most enjoyable gathering of club members and Dartmouth alumni. It was, for many of us, our first exposure to a "California barbecue," which was delicious. Throughout the evening, we paired up with different guests and alumni to play doubles. The girls were tired both mentally and physically from the intense competition of the previous three days, so that our tennis was far from peak performance. However, it was a welcome evening of relaxing tennis and informal talk with people sharing a common bond and special feeling for Dartmouth - past, present, and future.

Monday: It is difficult to describe the mixture of emotions the team experienced the last day of our trip. As a group, we had been together a great deal through the fall and spring seasons, and it was hard to believe the most successful year ever had come to an end. This realization, plus the knowledge that everyone was off in different directions for the summer, created a certain sadness. It would be particularly difficult saying good-bye to Muffy Rogers, an exchange student from Trinity College in Hartford, who had contributed a tremendous amount to our spring season both as a player and outstanding person.

The peculiar mixture of good feelings and nostalgia was apparent in subtle gestures. For example, on the way to the airport, we stopped to browze at a small shopping center. While we sat outside on a sunny terrace, sipping coke and coffee, the captain of the team, Pam Banholzer, disappeared. She returned minutes later with seven pink tea roses - a final memory of California and a thoughtful gift from her to all of us.

... And then there were none. In Boston, as I walked from the baggageclaim area with a good friend who was driving me back to Hanover that night, I knew that the past week had been an invaluable experience for six players and me. There were the rewards of player, team, and college recognition. There also was the knowledge that every member of this team sincerely valued every other member as a unique player, companion, and friend. I know the trip meant a great deal to all of the women, as it did to me.