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Update from Stef Fortmann in U.S.A .....
To the most awesome TENNIS+ team!
How are things back in KZN? I hope that all of you are still well and working hard. So here is just an update on where I am and what I am getting up to.
So first things first, where on earth am I? For those who have no idea at all, I am in North Carolina, USA. More specifically, in the town of Elon which is about 20 minutes from Greensborro. I am at the University of ELON. This is really a great school, to say the least!!! Since day one, I have felt completely at home. The people here are extremely friendly and helpful which makes life here a whole lot easier. We are rated as one of the most beautiful campuses in the NATION! Definitely a nice place to be every day.
The reason why I am here is of course because of the tennis. Although I do study, my main focus is tennis. Our tennis team plays in the highest college division (DIV 1) so the tennis is of a high standard. Since I have been here I have played a few tournaments and had some good results. Our main season though is in our spring which starts at the end of January. From then till about middle April we will play against about 25 different Universities. So as you can see, a good deal of matches. Basically every weekend will be filled with tennis matches. Exciting right? Not as easy as it sounds though. We practice 20 hours a week when we are in season. Every single day, except on Sundays and some Saturdays. Fitness and weights is also an important part of our program. On average we have 3 fitness sessions and 3 weight sessions per week. On top of that I will do some extra tennis related stuff myself like going to the gym an extra 3 times a week. So like you can see, we are very busy here and working hard every day. That is why I am having the greatest time of my life at the moment! It is great fun to be part of such a program. So below is just to give you an idea of what a day could look like for me:
-Wake up at 7am to have breakfast (Unless we have track fitness at 7am) -Classes from 8-12 -Have a good lunch -Chill out time -2:30-5:15 practice -5:30-6:30 Gym or Fitness -Dinner and shower -8:00-9:30 study time (Sometimes later) -11:00 Another meal to end off a good hard day!
I need to mention as well that I have a great coach this side. Coach Leonard. He is very disciplined but very fair. He knows a lot about tennis, I really enjoy working with him and together I feel we will make a great team. He was also kind enough to write one or two things from his side:
Since Stefan Fortmann has joined our tennis program this fall there are several things that stand out. From a tennis aspect the first thing that comes to mind is his demeanor on the court. Stefan does not get rattled and contains a positive mindset regardless of what is going on in the match or around him. You can tell he truly believes in his ability which means he is never out of a match. He has already demonstrated incredible comebacks this fall due to this persistence of finding a way to win. Also, Stefan is a great athlete but one that is willing to put in the time to get better. Sometimes when you have players who are gifted with supreme athletic ability. they don't work as hard. Things come to easy for them. This is not the case with Stefan and I think because of that he will improve so much over the next four years.
Outside of tennis I think what I am most impressed with Stefan is his maturity level for a freshman in college. When talking to him you feel as if he has been in college for several years, as he seems to get the big picture. Many freshman are lost when they enter college but not Stefan. He has his priorities in line. Lastly you can tell from his upbringing back in South Africa that Stefan is very respectful and someone looking to help others. An example is he is often the first one to do something that needs to be done without being asked to do it. Due to his selflessness his teammates not only like him but have respect for him.
I look forward to watching Stefan grow even more and feel he has such a bright future not only in tennis but in life.
Michael Leonard
Head Men's Tennis Coach
Elon University
I also need to tell all of you that the coaches back in the TENNIS+ team are something special. I had been with Mark for 11 years, and Karl a good 5 years. 16 years which gave me endless opportunities. Appreciate them and the entire coaching team!!!
Please feel free to get into contact with me! I love getting Facebook messages, Emails and Skype calls from people back home. My email address is sfortmann@elon.edu. My Skype name is stumpcam1. Please guys, let me hear from all of you ok?
You can also follow our tennis team on www.elonphoenix.com!
Keep working hard...It pays off!!!
Regards The Fortmannator