The Ithaca Boys’ Tennis Team is wrapping up a very successful undefeated season, and recently won a seventh straight Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC) championship. The team has had an unprecedented 91 match win streak, and sends numerous team members to the State Championships in Flushing Meadows, New York each year. I recently met with Head Coach Arthur Falkson and Captain Aidan Campbell to discuss their various successes and what it took to reach this distinguished level.
Asha Duhan: Why do you think the Boys’ Tennis team has been so successful for the past 7 years?
Arthur Falkson: I think the Boys’ Varsity Tennis team has benefited a great deal from getting a lot of regular practice and match play and from working so well together as a team. During practices we work on developing sound practice habits which prepare the players for match play. We work a lot on doubles positioning and strategy through a game-based approach. A game-based approach involves developing skills while competing against other players. Through a game-based approach to practice, players become more comfortable playing in competitive situations and are less likely to get nervous in matches against players from other teams. In terms of team strategy, since three of the seven points in our matches come from doubles, we put a lot of effort into doubles strategy, which also helps in singles play. Having strong doubles teams makes us a tough team to beat within our section. Finally, the team is supportive of one another and receptive to coaching, and this makes a big difference.
AD: What sets the IHS Boys’ Tennis apart from the other teams in the section?
AF: Generally, we have a large number of players who try out for the Boys Tennis team and, with access to Cornell’s Reis Tennis Center, we’re fortunate to be able to practice regularly even when the weather doesn’t allow us to practice outside. Also, over the past several years we’ve had strong leadership from the team’s captains who have served as great role models to the younger players. The healthy competition between team members to gain a starting spot on the team leads the team to have a lot of depth and strength throughout our line up, as compared to other teams in the Section. Over the years our players have been mentally tough, and again, this relates to the game-based approach to our practice sessions.
AD: What influenced you to teach high school tennis?
AF: Tennis has been an important part of my life since I was young and I have great memories of participating on tennis teams while in middle and high school. For three years, the Ithaca Athletics department supported having a paid assistant coach to the boys team and our athletic director at the time, Bill Bryant, approached me about the opportunity to help out the head coach, Rich Favaro. After I started helping out with the coaching, I realized how much I enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in high school coaching. After Coach Favaro retired from coaching, I had the chance to take on the head coaching role for the program. I’ve enjoyed being able to work with players both individually and as a team working towards the common goals of improvement and success for the team over the past 11 years that I’ve been the program’s head coach.
AD: Why do you think the Boys’ Tennis team has been so successful for the past 7 years?
Aidan Campbell: I think the reason we’ve been so successful is because of the dedication of our players to the sport. Most of the starters play year round, either at Cornell or with a private coach, especially Mike Bryant. Also, the support from each player to one another has created a great environment for growth and having fun.
AD: What are practices generally like for the tennis team? How does the team stay active during the off-season?
AC: During practices we usually warm up and then get right into playing against one another, with some variety in games to practice different skills. A lot of the team does practice year-round, but we don’t have year-round team practices. During the off-season it is mostly up to the player to stay active, but this year we are planning on having practices and conditioning during the off-season.
AD: What are your team and individual goals for next year?
AC: The biggest team goal for next year is to hit our 100th straight win, and to win the STAC title again. Individually we all want to improve, and I know that I want to get back to States and hopefully go far.