Lehigh University Athletics
From Head Coach Dave Shook
2/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Dear Lehigh Tennis Alumnae,
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to Lehigh University alumni who have experienced the thrill of competing at the NCAA Division I level of intercollegiate tennis. Things have changed drastically in my past 15 years, and the experiences of our current players differ drastically from that of even ten years ago. I rejoice in telling my players how the programs slept two to a bed; received $10 per day food money; purchased their own sneakers and strings; and missed countless meals due to late practices or matches. The game was no easier, that's for sure (especially playing three sets in singles AND doubles). The story I enjoy bragging about the very most is how we "cannon balled" in the van for 23 hours to Florida just to play outdoor tennis. I even took the team to Rauch Field House and had them set up a net and try to play, which was a very sobering and humbling experience for the teams. I vow to you, that your sacrifices will NEVER be forgotten while I am at the helm.
However, life in the fast lane is no picnic either. My teams each practice 140 times per year, and are on the courts in the Lewis Tennis Center all but a staggering 52 days of the entire school year. (For those of you who graduated between 1967 and 1982, the Lewis Tennis Center is named for W. Deming.) Both the men and women play a fall season of tournaments which takes us on the road nine straight weekends, resulting in many missed football tailgates and exciting games. We began practice the first day of January classes, play our first spring match on January 29th and play sixteen indoor matches in February before spring break. Our training and facility allow us to play a very high level of intercollegiate tennis. Last year a key injury on the women's team kept us from the automatic berth in the NCAA – to play Univ. of Southern California at UCLA. The men's team is also very competitive, and you would be very proud to see our fine student athletes competing against full scholarship teams from all over the country.
The reason for writing this time of year is to solicit your support in two very important ways. First, I need to tell you that our tennis alumni are some of the most successful student athletes that have graduated from this university. I am regularly contacted by alumni who have climbed to the top of the success ladder, and I can only hope that on occasion you will look back and realize that being a Lehigh student athlete helped prepare you for the competitive business environment we all face today.
I have marveled with other athletics staff over the past fifteen years that we rarely see our tennis alumni return to campus or participate in our annual Golf and Tennis Classic. Did you gave up swinging the old racket or we are not connecting with you in the right manner? Incredibly, every year we have more difficulty arranging a round robin for the Athletics Partnership fund raiser. Last year's Golf and Tennis Classic was supported by just FOUR tennis alums. The Athletics Partnership has been the backbone of providing funding for recruiting, coaches' salaries and much more for the athletics department. So, the coaches have gotten together and decided to help in any way we can. I hope that a note to our alumni may help reconnect you to the program and department.
What is even more interesting is that only 11% of all our tennis alumni donate money back to the tennis programs or to athletics. Although I am often too busy with 280 practices and fifty matches to drop those 11% the thank you note you so deserve, your generosity is appreciated and acknowledged. A few years ago we even attempted to organize an alumni tennis event in conjunction with a home tennis match, but this was also met with mild enthusiasm. At this point, I must conclude that many of you have "left it on the courts" of your university and any other tennis is just not the same. This is cool, very cool. While I can understand this completely, I ask you to call upon your fond intercollegiate experiences and think about those same emotions that are still burning in the hearts of our current players.
I would love to have tennis finish in the top third of alumni giving, since I know you are among the most successful and accomplished of all of our athletic alumni. I think this is a very attainable goal. With a very generous gift by Murray Goodman '48 to maintain equity within our league, we have embarked on this ambitious fund raising campaign. I invite you to demonstrate your pride in the accomplishments of these programs through setting the standard in giving.
Thank you so much for your consideration of this request and your support of Lehigh tennis. Please peruse the tennis web sites at www.lehighsports.com for information and match schedules. My players and I thoroughly enjoy your attendance at matches or practice. Come out to see us soon!
Kindest Regards,
