2008 Woodie Awards
Men's tennnis coach Jeff Brandes hosts clinic for team fundraising
The Acorn Drew U.
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The Drew University�s tennis team organized some last-minute fundraising for its spring break trip. These past two Sundays, the Simon Forum was occupied by young children who wanted basic tennis instruction. Coach Jeff Brandes ran the clinics, while members of the tennis team helped out. Brandes gave credit to former coach Ira Miller for creating the clinics. In addition to other fundraising events, the clinics have made so much profit that �the athletes pretty much have no �out-of-pocket� expenses,� Brandes said. The success of the clinics has put them on high demand and two more will be held on March 5 and 12.
�The clinics give the beginners a good foundation,� Brandes said. �Footwork is extremely important, as well as the four strokes � forehands, backhands, volleys and serves.�
Near the end of each clinic, the children participate in different challenges in order to win prizes. These competitions include hitting targets and playing matches against other teammates. The winner of each match receives a tennis ball autographed by his or her Drew coach. After the four clinics are completed, the child with the most wins receives a �rally ball.� Several years ago, many people thought the game of tennis played too fast and complicated. In order to solve this dilemma, �rally balls� were created. They were made exactly 6 percent larger than regular tennis balls, in order to slow down the game. However, the ball failed miserably and was discontinued. Brandes has exactly six balls left. �These are probably the only ones left on the East Coast,� Brandes joked.
In addition to fundraising, Drew�s tennis team must prepare mentally and competitively for its spring trip to Orlando, Fla. After a tough 9-0 loss on Friday, Feb. 17 to Queens College, a Division II school, the Rangers must work hard to defeat Franklin & Marshall while in Orlando. In fact, Coach Brandes referred to this upcoming match as �a grudge match, considering it was the worst loss of last year�s season.� Hopefully with sophomores Vikram Rao and Jason Woods, who played an amazing tie-breaking doubles match against Queens College, the Rangers will dominate their four matches in Orlando, Fla. this spring break.