Welcome to the Coach's Corner!
Please read a special welcome letter from our
Varsity Coach, Marc Hossack.
Here you will also find excerpts from Coach Marc's weekly TWIT
(This Week in Tennis) emails, as well as links to podcasts, books,
or other resources for players. Enjoy!
August 8th--Tryouts: This year at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic played Nick Kyrogios. While that match was entertaining enough on its own merit, John McEnroe added the commentary, as he always does! While Nick was waiting in a hallway, John said, "He is so nervous he doesn't even know how to find the court from where he is standing!" John went on to say, "This is Wimbledon and all I had to do was read some words this morning and I couldn't sleep last night!" My point is that, while of course we are not playing in Wimbledon or anything even close to that, for students around the state this week, tryouts can create some anxiety in all of us. The good news as I see it is that when this happens, it generally means that we care about something. I know I didn't sleep much last night, and I just have to "read some words" this week!
Culture Building: As adults, we all know that decisions sometimes are hard to make and they are also hard to receive particularly when other people make them for us. Job interviews come to mind for me. While not entirely the same as high school athletic tryouts, there are similarities as employers try to use a variety of tools to help them make the best decisions they can. While the tools are helpful, at the end of the day some level of subjectivity is always present.
Obviously, the employer ultimately gets to make the choice to extend a job offer and the prospective employee then gets to make the choice whether to accept it. It is a two-way-street. Read more HERE.
August 4th--Goodbye Preseason Camp, Hello Tryouts!: "Today after the drill we talked about commitment, respect and choices. I reminded our boys that our JV program and Varsity teams are both great programs and while there is a place for everyone, I used Varsity as an example of commitment. Varsity will NOT be for everyone nor is it their decision to make. Our varsity team is going to be spending a lot of time together; on the tennis court, in cars, at dinners, bonding events and if that's not enough we will even have homework and have to read! There are times we will be together 6 days a week with most weekends being spoken for and I mentioned this so they (and you) know what to expect. No surprises. For those with a passion for tennis and the competition and who honestly like each other the question will not be "why 6 days" it will be ``why not 7"! Again, it is okay if your player or your family are not there yet in terms of commitment and dedication but for those chosen for varsity this will be incredibly exciting. Making varsity should mean something special and it should be filled with honor and pride. Our varsity players will look forward to the next practice, drill, match or classroom experience together not because the coach is making them but because that is who they are and where they are in life. When this happens there is nothing that will be able to stop our team and program. Junior Varsity will also provide a transformational experience for our athletes whether they are trying out tennis for the first time or perhaps honing their craft with an eye for trying for varsity the next year." Read more HERE.
2022 Tryouts: "As much as it is a choice for our boys to make on whether they want to be a part of our culture and community it is also one for you to make as well as we are all in this together. It has been said that Zappos actually pays their employees $4,000 to leave the company if they do not feel the culture, visions and values are a fit. We don't have that kind of money but I want you to know exactly what you are getting into from the start so you can make the appropriate decision as a family. We will continue to raise the bar of what is expected and what it means to be in our program (specifically the varsity) and we are doing this because we believe, and I believe, that this should be a transformational experience with seeds being planted that can changes lives for the better. I hope you and your family find yourself excited as you read about our dreams, goals and in this case processes to try to achieve them together." Read more HERE.
July 27th TWIT: "Again, this past week we saw lots of our players playing tournaments at a variety of levels which is fantastic!!!!!! What used to be a rare BigFoot-like sighting for our program is now commonplace. That is Culture change and Commitment looks like as we raise the bar on expectations and create new Standards for what it means to be a tennis player at Ponderosa. I am looking forward to my conversations with the boys at tryouts to review the number of events they played in and learn what they learned through it all." Tryouts, uniforms, tournament link, and MORE!
July 13th TWIT: "Word of the Week - Coachability: I am always trying new ways to breathe into our culture and many of you see that through these emails and our interactions but this week with our camp starting I took the opportunity to talk about COACHABILITY and what it means to me as the coach and us as a program. It goes without saying that this is "common sense" but we need to discuss it as a family, especially with our boys. We need this to be something that is accepted by all of us in theory and practiced regularly. We talked a little bit about what it means to be Coachable and the importance of trying to have a growth mindset (for all you Carol Dweck fans out there!)." Read more HERE.
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