Gamecocks find success on court, in community
Since its conception in 2006, South Carolina’s club tennis team has quickly become the largest sports club on campus, consisting of more than 100 members.
Featuring both a competitive and recreational team, the club has experienced much success on the court.
The competitive team managed to earn a spot in the 2007 U.S. Tennis Association National Campus Championship and finished 29th out of a 64-team field.
In subsequent years, the team has finished as high as 23rd in the National Campus Championship and was named the USTA Southern Tennis on Campus Club of the Year in 2010.
The team has had even more success this season. So far, the Gamecocks have won all of their dual matches while finishing second in the South Carolina State Championships and third in the Sectional Championships at Auburn, Ala.
The club also finished 22nd overall in last weekend’s National Campus Championships in Cary, N.C.
While the on-court success has been a bright spot, club President Caroline Clark said that winning tournaments isn’t the main goal of the team.
“We are focused on enjoying the sport of tennis and having camaraderie with fellow tennis players,” Clark said. “Our main focus is to enjoy the many benefits that tennis has to offer and to make lasting friendships.”
Clark is a senior at Carolina and has been on the competitive team since she was a freshman. She believes that there are some advantages to playing on the club team as opposed to varsity.
“The club team enables students to determine how much time they are willing to dedicate to tennis,” Clark said. “Plus, we do not discriminate on ability and any level of player can join club tennis, from beginners to ex-varsity players.”
The club team hasn’t just been dedicated to tennis, either. Off the court, the team has devoted a significant amount of time to serving the community and organizing monthly projects with the local Special Olympics tennis team. The club also hosts semiannual charity tennis tournaments. For its efforts, the club is a 2011 Finalist for Outstanding Student Organization Community Service.
Its next event will take place this Friday, when the club will organize a charity tournament at the Columbia Tennis Center for the Special Olympics and for Japanese Tsunami Relief.
More information about the club can be found on the group’s Facebook page titled “Club Tennis at USC.”
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