How to create a winning tennis team

Kristianne Bontempo | Towpath Tennis Employee

It's been a few weeks since our last post, but all for good reason. With a busy fall USTA season winding down as well as one of our own, Natalie Aleman, recently getting married, we want to take a moment to congratulate our 6.0 Mixed 40 & Over tennis team, who just returned from a valiant effort at this past weekend's USTA National Championships in Surprise, AZ! We applaud each and every member on this team because we know it's not easy to get to the National stage given all the blood, sweat and tears involved in the road to victory (even if those tears were from laughter), it's still a huge feat. This isn't the first time a Towpath team has made it to Nationals and hopefully not the last, so we were inspired to share with you our recipe to creating a winning tennis team.

The Towpath 40+ Mixed 6.0 team with (back row) Tom and Amy Haught, Angie Remen, 
Bill Fox, Kip Kuebler, Susan O'Connell, Adam and Cathy Stopka, (front row) Tracy 
Campbell, Ron Novak and captain Michelle Fox. 

1.  Be committed - The first step to victory is simply committing to your team. You might not realize it but a winning team is formed at the start of each season. When you have reliable teammates who show up whenever the lineup dictates, then you're already ahead of the game. What's also great about readily available teammates is you don't need a lot of them, which means you can strengthen partnerships and experiment with winning lineups. Lastly, commit to believing you will make it to post-season. Don't waste your efforts during the season only to be short players when the team is truly put to the test.
2. Have a common goal - What do you want to accomplish with this team? Was this team created with playoffs in mind? Are you just getting some quality playtime in? Or do you just want to have fun with your buddies? Get your team on the same page from the beginning and communicate with them along the way. Who knows a team that you created just for fun may find themselves on the path to playoffs, so goals may change. But just because your goals change doesn't mean your strategy should change. If 'playing for fun' is working for you, then by all means stick with it!
3. Play fair - It's tempting to always play your favorite lineup, but to avoid disgruntled teammates it's best to share playtime among the entire team. This is the time when you need to trust your teammates to do their best and not get disgruntled with them. It's a lot more fun to win as a team than to win thanks to a few token players.
4. Build camaraderie - Team practices, post-match get-togethers, carpooling to matches, team dinners-these are all perfect opportunities to bond with your teammates. You don't all have to be the best of friends, but the support and confidence some teammates have for one another is uncanny. Plus, there's nothing better than winning with people you care about! 
5. Have fun, have fun, have fun! - Is that sinking in yet? The pressure to win can take its toll on team morale, which could easily dismantle all your hard-playing work. Getting to playoffs and beyond is a thrill when teammates aren't bickering about losses or bad-mouthing the captain's lineup choice. Stay positive (even if you have to fake it) and celebrate each success, however big or small. If you've made it this far we know you're competitive and here to win, but it's most important to enjoy yourselves along the way!

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