The Experience

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"Tennis on Campus, to me, is the perfect gateway for tennis players that want to continue their passion for tennis without sacrificing academic integrity and inner-personnel relationships after high school. In my pursuit of a bachelors in chemical engineering, I first thought that it would be possible for me to compete on the NCAA team and sustain the grades needed to pass my classes. But after my attempts to walk-on the team without the major results the coaches were looking for, I realized that I would have been miserable joining that team with little success in the classroom. Unfortunately at the time, the majority of NCAA teams were recruiting foreign players to boost the teams potential to perform in the national rankings, rather than promoting American/local tennis players, like me. College tennis is treated like a job/business rather than a path to continue a persons passion for the sport. Not making the NCAA team discouraged me to pursue tennis any longer. But, I am extremely happy that I had friends on the club tennis team that encouraged me to join after my failed attempts for the NCAA team. It has probably been one of the best decisions of my life. I've made life long relationships with friends, achieved my degree in chemical engineering, created memories that I will certainly tell my kids when I older, and really sustained the joy and passion that I have for the sport of tennis. If you are a serious tennis player, but find yourself stuck trying to walk-on a NCAA team, I would highly suggest joining the TOC program. The competition is fantastic and fun, but most importantly the environment that you play in is so much more relaxed! Thank you Tennis on Campus for making tennis fun again!" - Shepard Moore, UNM Club Tennis