We Will Feel Your Presence at Flushing Meadows … Just Remember Us for at Least a Moment

September 6, 2014 | By Lonnie Mitchel
Credit photo: Sarah Sklar

So the U.S. Open is wrapping up in Flushing Meadows, and if you are reading this, it is a safe bet that you love tennis and you are conflicted as to whether you are going out tonight or staying in and watching the matches on TV. Do you have tickets? Then off to Flushing Meadows you go, as you watch some great tennis at the place where people love to be seen as new drama unfolds for 14 days.

I am jealous of you if you are at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center watching great tennis. As far as professional tennis is concerned, you are at the center of its universe. The game draws you in, and the Open seems to have something for everyone, right down to the stores which sell the newest racquets and gear. If you are a fashion buff, the latest from Adidas, Nike and Reebok will attract you with their latest styles. It is a place where so many senses are stimulated and can extract you from everyday reality.

Now comes a little dose of tennis reality for you and let’s share some news from the Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western USA tennis fronts. So what happens in my world of tennis during the two-week period of the U.S. Open? The team I coach at the State University of New York at Oneonta and hundreds of collegiate squads nationwide will be convening on campuses and training for a season of competition. Days before classes begin, student/athlete tennis players will report to school and train, sometimes twice a day for three to four hours per day, preparing for a tennis season that spans eight to 10 weeks.

Meanwhile, back in Flushing Meadows, you are witnessing greatness at the U.S. Open, taking in not only illustrious tennis players, but world-class athletes who exhibit their skills that an overwhelming majority can just dream about. Up at my school, some 200 miles north of New York City deep inside the Catskill Mountains, young men and women are working at their craft of just trying to be a good tennis player. They get up early in the morning and train hard just for the opportunity to vie against other collegiate players from a variety of schools against competition from all walks of life. They won't be getting the accolades of the international press giving them countless hours of attention. The praise these young men and women receive is the reward of competing and the attention they receive is based upon the importance a college places on its tennis program. Crowds of less than 25 people show up to see the matches, and in many colleges, football takes center stage. Thousands show up at the football game and most have, at the very least, a slight peripheral interest in tennis thinking of it as nothing more than a nice recreational activity. They compete on an anonymous stage.

So, you flipped on your television, or if you're lucky enough to be at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, I want you to remember us. We are out there, licking our wounds and drowning our sorrows after a tough loss or celebrating with our teammates after a hard-fought victory. From the players who cannot attend the U.S. Open because we have other obligations, namely academic obligations and to the tennis team, we send our regards. We want to be there with you to share in the dramatics on the court, but we have our own drama to tend to. The drama at the collegiate level is as equal and compelling as that of the U.S. Open. but it is doubtful you will ever know about it in any great detail.

On the next court change or at the commercial break, remember those who cannot be with you and put a positive vibe out into the universe. We appreciate every bit of attention that comes our way.


Lonnie Mitchel

Lonnie Mitchel is head men’s and women’s tennis coach at SUNY Oneonta. Lonnie was named an assistant coach to Team USA for the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel for the Grand Master Tennis Division. Lonnie may be reached by phone at (516) 414-7202 or e-mail lonniemitchel@yahoo.com.

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