So, you’re asking about Colby Sawyer tennis, huh? It’s a whole scene up there, more than just some rackets and balls. I got a pretty good look at it a while back, and well, it left an impression on me, for sure.
You see, it’s not like some big Division I powerhouse factory, obviously. It’s smaller, more intimate. The courts themselves, nestled up there in New London, they’ve got this certain feel. Sometimes freezing cold, other times just gorgeous. That’s New England for ya. You really have to want to be out there playing.
What I noticed specifically, during that time I was poking around:
- The players, from what I saw, they’re a tight-knit bunch. Had to be. It’s not a huge school, so everyone knows everyone.
- Facilities were decent, you know, nothing over the top, but they got the job done. Practical, I’d say. They made the most of what they had.
- There was this real sense of battling the elements as much as your opponents. Builds character, I guess, playing through some of that New Hampshire weather.
- And the spirit, though, that was something. Seemed like they really played for each other, for the love of the game in a pretty low-key, honest setting.
It wasn’t about chasing national championships every single year, more about solid development and team cohesion from what I could gather. Just good, honest college tennis.
But here’s the real deal, how I got the inside scoop on all this.
Funny story, actually. I was looking for a change a few years back. Kinda burned out from my old gig, needed something different. I saw an opening that piqued my interest, something related to their tennis program. Not gonna lie, the idea of being up in those New Hampshire hills, working with young players, it sounded pretty good at the time. A real change of pace.
So, I went through the motions. I drove up there, visited the campus, talked to a bunch of folks. Spent a good bit of time just observing, you know? Watching practices, seeing how things operated from the inside, not just what you read in some online profile or a brochure. I was trying to get a genuine feel for the place.
Things seemed to be moving along. We had some good conversations, they seemed keen, I was keen. We talked details, almost to the point of me figuring out where I’d grab my morning coffee. Then, bam. Out of nowhere, things just shifted. Maybe it was budget stuff, or maybe they decided to go in a “different direction,” you know how they say it, one of those vague things they tell you. The whole opportunity just fizzled out. Poof. Gone.
Left me hanging a bit, to be honest. One day you’re picturing your life taking this new turn, mapping out the local diners, and the next, you’re right back to square one, looking at the drawing board. It was a bit like that time my car decided to give up the ghost miles from anywhere. You think you’re on a clear path, all set, and then life throws a massive wrench in the works. You just gotta deal with it, right? Adapt and overcome, or whatever they say.
So, I ended up taking a completely different path after that, something totally unrelated to college athletics, and it actually worked out pretty well in the end. But that whole Colby Sawyer tennis experience, spending that time looking closely, it stuck with me. Gave me a real unfiltered look, a snapshot of what it was like, even if I didn’t end up staying.
So yeah, Colby Sawyer tennis. It’s got its own unique flavor. Not the flashiest, maybe not the biggest program on the map, but there’s a genuine feel to it, or at least there was when I was looking in. It’s a place where you really gotta love the game, and probably the snow too, if you’re gonna thrive. That’s my two cents, from someone who almost became part of it, but ended up just being a very interested spectator from the sidelines of life, if you catch my drift.
