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A new type of season begins!

10/29/2012

I won't call it an off-season, because that would be an inaccurate reflection of the hard work you are still putting in every day. All of you know my email. All of you know my cell phone. Use them. Please understand that it is impossible to burn me out. As long as it's because you or your child is trying to get better, then I want to hear from you. I want to reiterate that improvement is the life-blood of this program. The moment it stops, we stop winning. That will not happen.

Honestly, the months right after a season might be my favorite. It's a time when people can make big changes in their game and become a new type of player. It's a time when you are no longer a JV player or a Varsity player. You're just a kid with a racket trying to get better, and there's something fun and exciting about that.

And thanks everyone for MAKING IT another great season, because we all know that they don't JUST HAPPEN.

Coach

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Tennis Banquet Information

10/22/2012

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Date: Monday, October 29

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: High School South Cafeteria

Who's Invited: All JV and Varsity players and parents. Siblings occasionally attend, and they are always welcome. Judging by the great turnout for the preseason meeting, I'm expecting a high turnout (which we generally have anyway).

What to Bring: Uniform, washed, in a bag, with your name on it (Varsity, you bought the black top, so that belongs to you)

Food Assignments: Each family will be responsible for bringing something. Assignments will come very, very soon.

What happens at the banquet:
1. Eat and enjoy each other's company.
2. Coach Dozeman recaps the JV season and gives out letters/awards (this is fun).
3. I recap the Varsity season and give out letters/awards (this is very fun).
4. I outline the off-season plan for player improvement (this is very important).
5. People hug, say thank-you's, and when we leave, the next season has unofficially begun!

Parents with Middle-School Children: This is a busy time of year, and every date presented some conflict. The 29th is the day of Middle-School Conferences. I apologize for this being the same night. The middle school also runs conferences this Thursday. If at all possible, go to conferences Thursday, so I can see you at the banquet. The players, coaches, and you parents all work so hard all season long for the team to be successful. This evening is our way to come together and say "wow, look at what we did together!"

Thanks again and I'll see you soon,

Coach Schwallier

(Coming soon to the website: "How to maximize your off-season improvement").

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State Finals - WEST OTTAWA TAKES 7TH PLACE/Banquet

10/20/2012

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Banquet Information: We will be pushing back the date of the banquet so we can better communicate to the JV team about the time/date. I did a poor job of this, and I don't want a low turnout as a result. I have emailed Karen Dykema about possible dates the following week, and I'll post the new date for the banquet the day one is set. It is very important to me that we have high attendance for the banquet.

State Finals Overview: The results just came out, and West Ottawa is the 7th best tennis team in Division One. Click Here for full tournament results. This is the 3rd highest place that West Ottawa Tennis has ever taken, and one place higher than we took a year ago. Click Here to view past results for West Ottawa at the State Finals. There's a Michigan/MSU football game going on right now, so I'm going to keep this post short (go Blue!).

Thanks everyone for a great weekend and season!

-Coach

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The Official 2012 State Finals Post!

10/17/2012

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Players/Parents,
The State Finals experience begins tomorrow, and it's going to be incredible. Thank you for all the work it took to get there. So, let's get prepared:

1. The Draw. CLICK HERE for the Divsion 1 State Finals draw. Congrats to Nick Schnobel for earning the #6 seed at Third Singles. Everyone, make sure you don't get too caught up in your draw. Every moment you spend thinking about WHO you play is a moment you are not thinking about HOW you are going to play. Make sure the majority of your time is spent focused on HOW your are going to play.

2. The Itinerary.

Thursday
10:00am Players are excused from class
10:15am Players are expected to be at the Athletic Office. Parents are welcome to come and see them off.
10:30am Depart for Midland
Noon We will stop for lunch, paid for by school (probably subway).
1:30pm We will practice at the Midland Tennis Center
3:00pm Check in at the Midland Resort
5:30pm Dinner -Ruby Tuesdays or Buffalo Wild Wings...decision to be made by
our Seniors. This will also be paid for by the school
8:30pm Team meeting in one of the Coaches Rooms
*After the meeting we'll head to our rooms for some rest.

Friday
6:00am Complimentary Breakfast Buffet at the hotel (This is likely the end of our
free meals for the trip)
7:00am Arrive at Midland Tennis Center
7:45am Coaches Meeting
8:00am Players Meeting
8:15am Play begins
*We play till we are all done. If anyone advances to the Semi-Finals, we all stay a 2nd day. In this case we return home on Saturday afternoon. If we are all done on Friday night, we will get home very late on Friday, even as late as midnight possibly.

Team Goals
1. Don't do anything stupid.
2. Perform to your ability.
3. Have fun.
4. Players, some time over the weekend, thank your parents for all they do. They spent a lot of time and money so you can have experiences like this. Also, thank Coach Doerrfeld. He's given a lot of his time and energy because he cares about all of you. You owe much of your success to the support around you. Weekends like this are great times to acknowledge them.
5. And seriously, don't do anything stupid this weekend.

-Coach Schwallier

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No Practice on Monday

10/14/2012

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Hey Boys,
Coach Doerrfeld and I will be at the All-Conference Selection Meeting on Monday. Most everyone's seasons are over right now, so they don't really take into account the fact that we have the State Finals in a few days:) Remember, Tuesday we scrimmage Holland Christian at home. Everyone needs to be at the courts right at 3:00pm, because they are coming right after school. I'll see you Tuesday.
-Coach

(For those interested, I heard a rumor that the draws for the State Finals will be up around 1:00PM on Tuesday. If you are among the people that are excited to find out the draw, start checking MHSAA.COM at that time!!!)

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Scrimmage Tuesday at home

10/13/2012

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Hey Boys,

On Tuesday, Holland Christian will be coming our way for a scrimmage so both of us can prepare for the State Finals. They will arrive between 3:15 and 3:30pm. Bring your "A" game. Also, I'm working on getting someone to help out with practice on Monday. Dan and I have to be in Grand Rapids for the OK-Red All Conference Selection Meeting. I'll update this post when I have more details on what Monday will look like.

Congrats again on your great win on Thursday!

-Coach

...Also, Captains, you represented the team very well at the assembly on Friday. Well done!

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West Ottawa Wins Division 1 Regional

10/11/2012

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Boys,
In the past four days, you won your 10th straight Conference Championship, beat East Grand Rapids, and capped it off with a Regional Title. Your win today gave West Ottawa their 11th Regional Title for Tennis. Eight of those titles have came in the last nine years. Here are some highlights from the day:

-We won with 22 points, finishing 3 points ahead of Rockford, who qualified with 19 points.
-We had 6 flights advance to the finals, far more than any other school.
-Greg Christie and Joe Miller were flight champions at 2 doubles. Greg has now won either a conference, regional, or both at 1 doubles, 2 doubles, and 4 doubles. It is am amazing accomplishment.
-Dan Dykens beat Chase Simsa from Grandville to win the 2 singles flight. Chase hasn't lost a conference match since his Freshman year, and is a great player and competitor. Dan has had some very impressive wins over the years, but this has to be his most significant.
-Holland's Coach, Kevin O'Keefe, and myself were named Regional Coaches of the year. This was a first for me, and I really appreciated it.

Here's a rough schedule for the week:
Friday: No practice, just enjoy the day
Monday: Check the website this weekend for details
Tuesday: Practice (or scrimmage)
Wednesday: Practice
Thursday: Leave for State Finals
Friday: Compete at State Finals
Saturday: Compete at State Finals

Thanks again for the great day. I love it when our goals turn into accomplishments!

-Coach

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West Ottawa 5, East Grand Rapids 3

10/9/2012

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Boys,
Thanks for a great day against East Grand Rapids. This was the first time since I've been a coach that we've recorded a win over EGR. I look at Forest Hills Northern and East Grand Rapids as the local benchmark schools for our program. When we beat them, it means we are doing something right. When they beat us, it means we have some work to do. FHN beat us, but we got EGR, so I guess that means we are doing something right, but we still have some work to do!!!

A reminder that we will we will be doing some of that work at practice until 4:30 tomorrow, then head over to the VanDyne's for a brief pasta party.

Have a good evening,

Coach

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Congratulations Boys!

10/8/2012

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Click Here For Pictures from the Conference Finals

Boys,
Thank you for an incredible day. For the 10th year in a row, West Ottawa Tennis can say that they are the Conference Champions. I hope you understand what a truly amazing accomplishment it is. To pull this off, it took three hard-working head coaches, numerous dedicated players, and many committed parents. It required our middle school coaches to get kids excited and teach the game, our jv coaches to prepare our boys to play winning doubles, and the many instructors in Holland to help develop our skills. So when I say that this win personally meant a great deal to me today, that's why. Your success is a reflection of the efforts of an entire community, and that is something to celebrate. Many people are proud of you, and deservedly so.

A reminder of our schedule for the week:
Tuesday: Match at East Grand Rapids. Be at transportation after school.
Wednesday: Practice after school. Brief pasta party following practice.
Thursday: Regionals (This is the tournament that determines who goes to the State Finals. Do not take this tournament for granted. To go to the State Finals, we must beat many very good teams who want to see us NOT go to the State Finals. If you want good things to happen, you have to make good things happen.)

Thanks again and have a good night,

Coach

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Conferences Rescheduled for Monday

10/6/2012

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Players/Parents,

Overview of the day:
Great job today boys. I was very impressed with several things. First off, your energy and focus was awesome. I feel like it simply doesn't matter what kind of crap the weather throws at us; we are going to be prepared. Second, your flexibility and how well you listened was awesome also. Between going back and forth from Calvin Christian, Ramblewood, and Grandville, you always listened and did exactly what we asked. Every time you retook the court to resume play, you were immediately focused.

Where we Stand: We have wins at 1,2,3 singles and 2,3,and 4 doubles. 1 doubles is up a set, and Mark has just begun his match.

The Plan for Monday: YOU WILL NOT GO TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY. Players will meet at transportation at 6:35am. The plan will be exactly like Saturday. We will go to Russes for breakfast in Grandville, then leave breakfast at 8:15, so we can be at Grandville before 8:30. Play will resume at 9:00am, when Mason, Brandon, and Mark will resume their match.

The Weather Report: Low of 43, high of 60 degrees, and windy. Dress the same way you did today. If you were AT ALL cold, bring more layers on Monday. It's always better to bring too much than not enough.

Have a good weekend everyone, but be ready to play hard when Monday comes. Don't let the craziness of the weather make you forget about the individual and team goals you set for yourself a couple weeks ago.

-Coach

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Middle School Interest Survey!

A new type of season begins!

Tennis Banquet Information

State Finals - WEST OTTAWA TAKES 7TH PLACE/Banquet

The Official 2012 State Finals Post!

No Practice on Monday

Scrimmage Tuesday at home

West Ottawa Wins Division 1 Regional

West Ottawa 5, East Grand Rapids 3

Congratulations Boys!

Conferences Rescheduled for Monday

Dewitt Information

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