USTA Southwest would like to thank all of our outstanding USTA League captain's for their service to the program.
From scheduling lineups to making calls to players at the eleventh hour, we know and definitely appreciate all you do to keep the USTA League program fun for everyone!
If you know of a great USTA League captain worthy of making the
Captain's Corner, fill out this
FORM and send it over to USTA Southwest League Coordinator Lindsey Keeler at
keeler@southwest.usta.com.
This month's CORNER segment visits with Northern New Mexico captain Jack Blair. Jack has been a captain for about 15 years now, captaining adult men's, senior and now super senior teams.
>
Name: Jack Blair
District: Northern New Mexico
NTRP Level: 4.0
Teams Captained: Adult Men’s League, Senior Men’s League, Super Senior Men’s League
What do you enjoy about captaining a USTA League team?
I am extremely competitive and I enjoy the camaraderie, Most of all I enjoy figuring out the match-ups. I spend a lot of time researching players and player styles to gain a slight advantage.
- How long have you been captaining USTA League teams?
Approximately 15 years.
- What’s been your favorite or most unique "captain" moment so far?
There have been many. Last year’s Adult league team may have been the most rewarding. We definitely were not the league favorites. We made it to the playoffs and won when we beat a team that beat us twice during the league season.
- What do you think your players or other players should know about what it’s like to captain?
Most don’t understand the hard work and effort required to be competitive and still get everyone playing time.
- What is your strategy on recruiting new players? How do you find and fill your team with new players each year?
I know almost all of the players in our district, after all of these years. When the Year End NTRP ratings come out, I look for players who get moved down from 4.5 to 4.0. If their personality fits our team, I give them a call.
- Why do you like to give back to the sport of tennis so much?
Tennis is great! It is where I spend most of my leisure time and where most of my friends spend theirs.
- If you could have any professional player (current or retired) on your league team, who would it be? Why?
Pete Sampras. I think that his personality would blend with ours.