ATA senior Jeffrey Offerdahl ended a 10 year junior tennis career this past week in Delray Beach, Fl at the B18 National Clay Court Championships.   The Clay courts is one of 4 USTA Super-nationals held each year bringing the best junior competitors in each age group together to test their skills against one another.

 

Also competing in the clay court nationals were Taylor Shamshiri, Aaron Chaffee, Hunter Goertz and Josh Hagar.  Jake Berber competed in the B14 national Clay courts.

 

 

Chaffee, Goertz and Hagar will finish up the summer by traveling to Kalamazoo for the B18 National Hardcourt championships.  Other ATA rising seniors: Andrew Parks, Austin Mayo, Rob Steinwedell and Jacob Herndon will join the team in Kalamazoo to practice and play practice matches in front of the many college coaches who will be recruiting for 2012 at the Nats at the Zoo.

 

Congrats to ATA seniors Offerdahl (Vanderbilt 2016), Chaffee (DePaul 2016) and Shamshiri (Washington & Lee 2016) on completion of their junior tennis journey and the start of the next adventure of college tennis.

 

Jeff Offerdahl, ATA graduating senior, sat down for an interview about his experiences.

 

Q&A
Jeff Offerdahl

 

Q.  This was the best clay court tournament of your career, why?
A.  “A lot of things added up: preparing for two weeks, I felt very comfortable on the clay.  My attitude was really good  I had a positive mindset, looking forward to every challenge, loving the differences clay give you.  The surface can be unpredictable so having a good attitude about is important.  My first match also had a big impact on tournament.  I got down and came back, then got ahead and almost lost.  I think this really helped me appreciate the whole experience of tournaments.  My fitness helped me a lot, it was really hot and humid, and had trained hard the past few months, so I was ready for the conditions.  Overall, having played a good number of national tournaments over the past seven years helped me.  I had played at both sites before and there was no pressure of coaches watching and judging my performance.  My college situation was set going in, so I felt no pressure.”

 

Q.  What are the most important things you take away from junior tennis?

 

A.  “Junior tennis helped me realize that everyone is always changing.  Players are getting better, players are getting worse.  In any given match, if I try my hardest, anything can happen.  It also helped me cherish the ATA community.  At every match I played in junior tennis, it was more fun because I was sharing that with my ATA teammates like Chase Curry, Aaron Chaffee and Taylor Shamshiri.  You feel that you are a part of something bigger than yourself as part of the ATA program.  Also, junior tennis makes you realize what you want.  It helps you clarify your goals.  If you have a bad tournament, how are you going to respond?  Bounce back, mope?   It’s an ongoing challenge to respond to the things that come at you.  I have learned to just bounce back after a loss, work harder on the things my opponents showed me were weak and come back to the next tournament better prepared.  Coach Newman has told me my opponents are my greatest teachers, they show you by beating you, what you need to work on and that has been true for me.  I take away that the younger ages of tennis should be all about development, no so much about winning and losing.  Results for college coaches only count in 18s.  If you have not developed yourself as a player during 12s, 14s and 16s, if you have not progressed your game, you will not have the same level of accomplishment, than if you kept adding new things to your game.  What it takes to win in 12s and 14s is very different than what it takes to win in 18s and for that matter in college.”

 

Q.  What are you most excited about for college tennis at Vanderbilt?

 

A.  “The whole team atmosphere.  Texas Cup, Zonals, and Junior Davis Cup were my favorite junior events, again you are playing for something bigger than yourself.  I have experienced that with ATA, but expect that to be more intense in college, playing for your teammates, your coaches and your university.  That will be fun.  I am really looking forward to the Competition…no match will be easy, the SEC is a tough conference and I will get a chance to play some good people in my college career.  I’m really excited about getting Vanderbilt gear.  I am excited about working with new coaches, to see what their personalities are like and what their strengths are.  I have always been a college sports fan, so I am excited about getting a chance to beat players from schools that I have followed all my life.”