Alright, let me tell you about this little project I got myself into recently, trying to follow the Adelphi women’s tennis team. It wasn’t some grand plan, just sort of happened.
I live not too far from Garden City, and I kept hearing bits and pieces about Adelphi sports. One afternoon, just browsing online, I stumbled onto their athletics page and saw the tennis team stuff. Figured, why not? Might be interesting to follow a local team closely for a season, see how they do.
Getting Started
So, the first thing I did was look up their schedule. Found it on the athletics site. Lots of matches, some home, some away. Then I tried to see who was actually on the team. You know, put some names to the players. Found the roster, looked up a few players. It’s always more interesting when you know who you’re rooting for, right?
My initial plan was simple:
- Check their schedule weekly.
- Look up the scores after each match.
- Maybe try and catch a home game if the timing worked out.
Following Along
Keeping up wasn’t always straightforward. Scores usually got posted pretty quick, which was good. But finding more details, like match reports or highlights? That was hit or miss. Sometimes you’d get a decent recap, other times just the bare scoreline. Made it hard to really get a feel for the matches I couldn’t see.
I remember one week they had a really tight match against a conference rival. The score online kept updating slowly, point by point almost. Felt kinda invested, even just staring at my screen, waiting for the final result. They pulled it off, which was cool.
Trying to Catch a Match
Mid-season, I saw they had a Saturday home match coming up. Weather looked okay, I didn’t have much else on. Perfect, I thought. I’ll finally go see them play live.
Getting there was easy enough. Found the tennis courts on campus. It’s not like a huge stadium or anything, pretty low-key. Which I actually liked. You’re right there, close to the action.
Here’s the thing though… finding parking nearby was a bit of a pain. Drove around for a bit, finally found a spot a decent walk away. Minor hassle, but still, one of those little things.
The match itself was great. Way faster and more intense than it looks on TV sometimes. You could hear the players talking, the coaches shouting instructions. Really got a sense of the effort involved. Saw some incredible shots, some tough errors. It felt very real, very competitive.
Final Thoughts
Overall, following the team for a bit was a neat experience. It wasn’t some life-changing thing, but it was a good way to connect locally and appreciate the dedication these student-athletes have. Seeing them play live definitely topped just following scores online. Even with the small stuff like parking, it was worth the effort.
Made me realize there’s a lot of good college sports happening right under our noses, not just the big football or basketball programs. Might try and catch another game next season if I can.
