Author: ethomasparham

ANCIENT AGE

On By ethomasparhamIn HUMOR/ ODDS AND ENDSLeave a comment

Your kids don’t want your “stuff ” ( See George Carlin ). I only owned two pairs of dress shoes in my life–Johnson and Murphy tassle loafers. One truly observant Alumni noticed them after twenty years : “Coach, is that the same pair of shoes you wore in 1970?” Bullseye.

Cleaning out my “stuff” yesterday I noticed the surviving J&M’s. Pair 2 has a quarter sized sole hole. The “Shoe Nazi ” in Burlington, NC estimated repair at more than I paid for them. One of my offspring wears the same size shoe. Don’t even ask.

There is precedent .

My apartment was broken into in 1968. The front and back doors were left wide open. It didn’t take long to inventory my posessions : Nothing was deemed worthy of stealing.

SO—-THE JUKE BOX ( Below is from PLAY IS WHERE LIFE IS by TP).

NOTE—While tempermental, this ” ancient ” (71 years old ) 1954 classic still will blast 45’s worthy of neighborhood complaints.

While a professed “Minimumalist”, the College gladly accepted my considerable Bob Dylan collection.

Now to find a proper home for an old friend.

The Juke Box

“CHAWSIS”

On By ethomasparhamIn HUMOR/ ODDS AND ENDS, I. ELONLeave a comment

Upon retiring I asked wife-type, Margaret , WHERE? Answer–BEACH! We both liked the shore and she grew up on Lake Huron. She reasoned “…yes, but mainly I know the kids will visit us there. And eventually bring my grandchildren to me. “

The Raleigh family and the Boulder family were here last week. Somehow we have retained the tradition of family meals together. And , for a while, the young ones remain for after dinner conversations. The oldest grandchild had just graduated from Boulder High School, and while I was unable to attend, I watched via ZOOM.

I commented that the speaker made a fine talk. Then someone asked who spoke at my college graduation? I do remember the speaker’s name and title. Yet I had to admit being among the “overserved RWL ” –participants common to college students the night before graduation. Or, I was hungover from RUN. WALK. LAY DOWN booze.

Sitting on the aisle seat I began to drift. Proximity classmates later laughed about the snoring

The tassle on the “mortar board “was put into motion as my own snoring whiplashed me semi conscious. I thought the tassle was someone trying to enter our aisle and knocked the “funny hat” into the next row.

That was it. My classmates who witnessed this scene and sounds could hold on no longer. Raucus laughter erupted from our area —and the unnamed speaker stopped, wondering what was funny about what he had just said?

Margaret is self effacing but I guess she felt the need to offset my confession. Asked about her rememberances- she told of being the class speaker at her graduation from nurses training . When some one asked what she talked about she said, “from MARKINGS by Dag Hammarskjold : Goodness is something so simple…Always to live for others, never to seek ones own advantage”.

Son Dan was next. After saying that no one in class could remember anything but the theme the speaker chose –CHAWSIS. “You are going to have to make some CHAWSIS ( Choices)” . Dan said “…thirty years later his class mates still remember.

On a very serious note—This speaker should have the stage now. SAPIENS by Yuval Harari got a lot of attention years back. Followed up by HOMO DEUS, I have followed him as best I could. Now NEXUS is out and I am trying to grasp his prescient admonitions. Two things jumped out at me: 1. This book is deeper and tougher to absorb. 2. He is less optimistic now and is telling us why.

Artificial Inteligence has a very dangerous potential. We must prioritize the choices we must make.

From a review of NEXUS:

For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI–a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. For all that we have accomplished, why are we so self-destructive?

Time to vote!

Chawsis !

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can” (John Wesley )

ALTERNATIVES

On By ethomasparhamIn C. COLLEGE TENNIS and INSTRUCTIONLeave a comment

A fellow tennis coach recently made this comment about YouTube tennis instruction: “there is mostly junk out there. ”

Here is a suggestion for intermediate players and backhand overheads.

Classic instruction has tradtional advice much like this–

  1. Avoid the shot if possible. Once you realize the lob is headed over the backhand shoulder, use your feet and legs quickly and turn the backhand into a powerful forehand smash. Or a much better forehand than one of the most difficult tennis shots.
  2. Ah– but sometimes you have no chance time wise and now the only choice is a backhand.
  3. This ia a unique shot. Some can execute this most difficult overhead after developing these unusual skills: A. Point the elbow of the hitting arm almost straight up, having turned to the backhand side. As you make this new shot straighten the elbow ansd Snap the wrist so the ball is hit with the arm sraight.
  4. This advice appeared most often. My long time attempts to follow this advice yeilded limited success.
  5. ******As the two hander evolved youngters tought themselves what worked. Most average players had a tough time with this odd overhead. The way young girls (mostly ) reacted was by developng a new technique. Unable to run around this shot, they let the lob lower itself to just above shoulder height where they could tattoo what was much like a two handed volley.
  6. Its origin belongs to young girls, but all but the real talented should be aware of its possibilities.

“…If you don’t like jelly there is always jam.

If you don’t like turkey there is always ham.

But there ain’t no substitute for love!” (JOE ROBINSON )

US OPEN TENNIS RESERVES QUALIFYING SLOTS FOR AMERICANS

On By ethomasparhamIn Wilson, RaceLeave a comment

PROGRESS FOR AMERICAN COLLEGE TENNIS PLAYERS

Short version

In its inaugural year, the four-team doubles and four-player singles playoff was created to increase the number of American collegiate tennis players who earn wild cards into the U.S. Open. Previously, only the NCAA singles and doubles champions received a main draw wild card, while the other NCAA singles finalist received a qualifying wild card. This season, six wild card entries were up for grabs.

Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/article309005475.html#storylink=cpy.

While I support more scholarship money for American tennis families and players, this move is indeed encouraging.

My guess is the USTA IS WELL HEELED TO THE POINT THEY DON’T FEAR A LAWSUIT.  This eliminates the long held fear of a discrimination suit.  

Too,  the timing of relaxed amateur restrictions will make college tennis more attractive as a significantly better route to professional possibilities.  College tennis will gallop toward the hands down “Minor leagues of tennis.”

Probably some will resist change.  Internationals hopefully will recognize  that 

Americans are footing their bill for a much better developmental choice, particularly the financial positives.  

The ultra elite American juniors will now command significant college deals.  

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“Your perseverance is paying off.”     ( James Haslam )

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Robert BaylissSun, Jun 22, 10:05 PM (5 days ago)
to me

Tom,

         Great observations. In today’s world of college athletics, any good news is welcome. The folks running college sports for the last 10-15 years should all be brought together and turned over to Islamic terrorists for punishment. I don’t think anyone knows how things will settle, but I certainly am glad that I didn’t have to deal with the likes of NIL, the transfer portal, and everything else that has been filtered into college tennis.

          I played at Richmond, graduating in 1966. In my 4 years of college tennis ( actually 3, as freshmen were ineligible then), I strung every one of my own rackets. I got to use gut my junior year and thought that was a big deal. My sophomore year I rode in the back of Coach’s station wagon with the gear and spare tire, as the other players rode 3 in the front seat and 3 in the back. Complain…. heck no; I was a varsity athlete! We had no strength coach, academic advisor, dietitian, or any of the amenities available to today’s players. I am not jealous and don’t regret a thing. In fact, I believe that I got much more out of my experience than today’s athletes because I had to do it all myself. I was much more prepared for the real world. 

      Sorry for climbing on my soapbox to force my opinion on you, but I imagine it found a receptive audience. Stay well, my friend. We can keep trying to confuse our detractors with logic!

Best regards,

Bobby 

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Kudos to CoCo

On By ethomasparhamIn C. COLLEGE TENNIS and INSTRUCTION, E. SPORTS COMMENTARYLeave a comment

Two comments on the French Open:

To CoCo: Well done. You did it right. Most impressive to me was your emotional control.

2. The evolving tactics of the drop shot. Carlos used this several times—He showed preparation for a drop shot but at the last second hit a firm under spin elongated volley down the line. Effective!

Next move? How to defend against this new element? Best guess–To volley his shot crosscourt. You now have to caution against in too far, too quick. A fine line . He has upped the ante !

Watch tomorrow.

OLD TRICKS AND NEW DOGS

On By ethomasparhamIn C. COLLEGE TENNIS and INSTRUCTIONLeave a comment

Charlie Owens convinced many of the virtues of the drop shot. Years ago! (See MAESTRO and MAESTRO REVISITED ). I listened with amusement yesterday as commentators at the French Open extolled these virtues as if the drop shot was new.

What is new is the level of skill that the players have developed, the frequency of use, and how to defend against it. Carlos and the Joker most noticably.

Drop shots, drop shot defense, swinging volleys–“adapt or perish”!

Homework? Someone will soon add a most killer TOPSPIN LOB “.

RESEARCH

On By ethomasparhamIn C. COLLEGE TENNIS and INSTRUCTION, D. INTERNATIONALSLeave a comment

AI rules ! Access to data gives new insight to college tennis. See link:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/KtbxLwHLrjstJvBXlcDmJWKrLDTdjcHrbq

I repeat this observation of the recent tournament

“Wake Forest University won the 2025 NCAA Men’s Team Tennis Championship. They beat Texas Christian University 4-2. Both are elite private, protestant schools. In the title match both teams played only the same six team members in singles and doubles. There was one American that played for WFU. One for TCU.

The unitiated might think this 5:1 ratio favoring international starters is unusual or new. Sadly the truth is it is a typical formula among men and women, NCAA Divisions 1 and 11, NAIA , JUCOS. Often total rosters and six starters is just as common.”

Here is some more amateur research:

Sixty two teams qualified.

Ten players was the average squad size. About 600 squad members.

Men are allowed 4 and1/2 scholarships. About 270 grants.

Assuming sholarships are awarded to the players that actually play ( 6 or 7), rosters and box scores reveal that about 80 grants of the 270 go to Americans.

While there were exceptions ( Stanford started 5 Americans ), the “typical ” squad of 10 listed 7 international members. The average ratio of starters was 5:1 international.

Thirty three of the 60 teams had zero or only one American starter.

2025 NCAA MEN’S D1 CHAMPIONSHIPS –MEDIA GUIDE

https://d3ms8mre5rhtvu.cloudfront.net/index.html?hash=QzU1OThENjZBRUQrdDkwYjhhbGs5cw%3D%3D&p=1