Word: bridgeland
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...John Bridgeland spent an hour this Thursday working on his groundstokes and volleys. It was a practice session like countless others: smooth, classical forehands and backhands, lofting topspin lobs, staccato volley winners. Confidently he guided ball after ball toward the opposite baseline, until the varsity arrived for its afternoon workout...
Three years ago, as a freshman, Bridgeland played varsity tennis for Harvard, before the arrival of All-American Howard Sands and other heavily recruited players who last season led the team to a berth in the NCAA championships. And as he left the Palmer Dixon courts on Thursday, Bridgeland paused for several silent minutes to watch the "A" squad warm up. Earlier, he had provided a perfect caption for the scene: "I keep playing for a lot of reasons, but I guess most of all there's a feeling that you could still be competitive and win a big match...
...Bridgeland is one member of a small corps of junior varsity veterans who compete with rising freshmen and sophomores to serve as back-ups for the "A" team. But the opportunities for varsity play are few, and without delusions of unanticipated glory in the remainder of their careers, the senior "B" players find other forces drawing them across the river and onto Harvard's chilly indoor courts...
Staying in shape and striving for personal improvement regardless of match results are other motivations. Paul Lennon, who like Bridgeland and Kiam is in his last year here, has worked his way up to the varsity several times, only to falter and drop back down to the second string. He's been sitting out this fall with a hip injury, but refuses to rule out a return, saying, "I came to Harvard to play and win, but I also just wanted to see how good I could get. I guess I'm not really sure...
Regardless of the team's success this season, Kiam, Bridgeland and Co. will probably not see an NCAA tournament. They'll continue their on-and-off practice schedule through the winter, battling freshmen for ladder positions, and when spring arrives, there will be another trip south and maybe a few varsity openings during reading period...