The Briton’s men’s tennis team traveled to the Los Angelos, Calif., area over spring break to take on multiple west coast tennis teams. When we arrived at LAX Airport we were greeted by warm weather and palm trees all around us. After arriving at our hotel in Santa Ana (Orange County), the team headed off to the courts to have their first outdoor practice of the season. The next day we would head off early in the morning to practice and have enough time to enjoy the warm California beaches. The team spent their second day of the trip in the MTV famous Laguna Beach. After a nice relaxing day, we were ready to start our spring break matches.
On Monday the Britons squared off against La Verne University. The match was played in Claremont, Calif., at a local tennis club that sported 28 tennis courts and one stadium court. The weather was a little colder than expected (even though we were up in the mountains), but the we were able to pull out a 8-1 victory. A great way to start the trip. The next day we faced La Sierra University, a strong team out west that is known for its tennis. With the sun shining and the heat rising, we pulled out another 8-1 victory. The No.2 doubles tandem of Chris Brown, East Grand Rapids sophomore, and myself won our doubles 8-0 and both also won our singles 6-0, 6-0. After our match, the men’s team met up with the Lady Brits, who also were coming off a victory from earlier in the day, at Red Robin to have dinner and relax. That night, the Brits were able to relax, swim and take nice walks through the town because we would have the next day off.
On our only day off, we spent their time in Surf City, otherwise known as Huntington Beach. Some players went surfing and others went shopping, but everyone enjoyed getting to relax, even for just one day away from the craziness known as Michigan weather. The next day, we played Los Angeles Pierce College right outside of L.A. We had to adapt to a different style of match play because Pierce College played singles before doubles whereas the Britons have always played doubles then singles. After the singles, the match was tied at 3-3 so the match would be decided by the doubles results. The Britons lost at the No.1 doubles spot and won at No.2 doubles so it came down to the No.3 doubles team of Johnny Vinson, Grosse Pointe junior, and Adam Brown , Mequon, Wis., senior. The Brits would end up pulling out the last match by a score of 9-7 and that gave them an overall victory of 5-4. That night was a very fun and sad night. We were all packed up and ready to head the next day for their last match and for their journey back to the cold weather. The last day we faced Glendale Community College, a team stacked with players from Division I schools and international countries. Although we played extremely well, we fell by a score of 7-2. After their match they were able to relax before our flight by having a great dinner on the Santa Monica Pier at Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Factory.
Although some Britons were feeling more out of their element than others due to a long week, everyone had a blast. To top it all off, we were able to meet two actors, one who was in Batman and the other who was in Elf and the show Nip/Tuck. As they drove away from the pier, we said goodbye to the beaches and the warm weather and would arrive back home at the crack of dawn. Overall we not only performed extremely well, but also had a great bonding experience and showed that they have what it takes to finish the season.
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