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| Coach C.J. Weber welcomes fans |
In this day and age, I really appreciate people who put
their money and or time where their mouths are, and C.J. Weber, FGCU Men’s
Tennis Coach, and his players are certainly doing that.
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| Standing room only crowd at Grandezza |
Earlier this year, C.J. told me that he wanted the team to
be more involved in the community and vice versa, and he was willing to do what
it took to make that happen. I gotta tell ya, that the man and his troops are
walking the talk!
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| Justin's Place clients at FGCU |
On Friday October 5, the Eagles hosted a clinic for with
over 20 participants enrolled in Justin’s Place, “a faith-based nine-month program
incorporating the 12 Steps and their biblical comparisons (using Celebrate
Recovery core curriculum that helps clients overcome their hurts, habits, and
hang-ups).” Justin's Place Recovery Program is just one of the programs
offered and administered by St. Matthews House, a faith-based
charitable organization serving Naples, Immokalee and Bonita Springs.
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| Lanny Kalpin welcomes C.J. Weber & Eagles |
Yesterday, the Eagles took their community consciousness to
The Club at Grandezza, a Stock Development community just down the street from
the FGCU campus. There, the team held practice and displayed their prowess in
singles and doubles exhibitions for the standing-room-only crowd that gathered
at the invitation of tennis director, Lanny Kalpin.
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| Zach Blythe hits some |
From the number of questions about the team that I tried to
field from the crowd, along with the comments I heard, the team’s effort was
greatly appreciated. Perhaps the most appreciative members of the crowd were
Zach Blythe and his parents, Larry and Tina. Asked about their experience,
Larry responded, “We did enjoy
yesterday, immensely, and are excited about becoming a traveling fan club for
the FGCU Tennis team.”
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| Zach & Mike Beiler |
A great part of their enjoyment was generated by Michael
Beiler, a sophomore Eagle who, upon request, agreed to hit for a few minutes
with Zach. Asked about his contribution, Beiler, answered, “I wish I would have
had the opportunity Zach did yesterday when I was his age.” And as for making
Zach’s day, Beiler responded, “I enjoyed it.”
It was an opportunity that Zach certainly appreciated. The young tennis fanatic had the following to say about his experience: “It was a great experience for me to hit
with someone of his caliber—he really smacks the ball! Being on the court
helped me realize that this is something that I definitely would like to do.”
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| News-Press Publisher Mei Mei Chan and Husband Randy Kirk in the crowd |
Working with rehab clients, inspiring teenagers…I think that’s
walking the talk. The Eagles did that on tennis court at the Fall Invitational,
and they are doing it in their community. That’s the kind of walk I can get
fully behind. How about you? If supporting the Eagles in their on and off-court
endeavors is something you are interested in doing, there’s a meeting scheduled
for Wednesday, November 14 at Alico Arena at 5pm, and you can be a part of
something special that’s blossoming in Southwest Florida. Drop me an email if
the notion tickles your fancy. Go Eagles! Game, set, match…T. A.
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