CLASS OF 2002, WELCOME!!

TENNIS AT MIT: YET ANOTHER SLICE OF MENS ET MANUS

MIT's motto is Mens et Manus, which tranlates from Latin to "Mind and Hand." Your next four years at MIT will call for a cooperation and balance of your academic life with your physical well-being.

Tennis can be turned into 8.01 (Physics I)! (The Mens part of Mens et Manus)

(See www.racquetresearch.com for complete derivations and explanations/remarks.)

Under Construction

Why Exercise at MIT? (The Manus part)

MIT offers a variety of levels at which to play tennis, ranging from recreational, physical education(PE), intramurals, and intercollegiate (Varsity and JV.) The following are accounts from various members of the MIT community explaining the benefits of participation in exercise, in particular, tennis!

"While I was a student at MIT (long time ago), PE was an outlet. The two sports I participate in regularly have made important changes for me. I have been doing tennis in the summers (and an occasional in year course) for at least 10 years... always enjoying it...The one sport which I did pick up about 4 years ago was rowing... took a rowing for fitness PE course and then a sculling course; have in the intervening years taken sculling or advanced sculling at least once a year... bought a rowing machine... and row 5-6 times a week on it... about 30 minutes... up to almost 6 million meters cumulative... and a reasonable pace...Not often that you can find good tennis courts... a river to row or sail on... skating rink... other facilities... all at your fingertips... not to mention good instruction. Complement intended for Carol Matsuzaki and Mayrene Earl and Susan Lindholm. I think incoming students in many ways don't realize what a wonderful set of resources they have available..."

Don Grossman '73

"...but I knew why I chose to come to MIT - for a challenge. I thought to myself that maybe if I practiced enough, I would be able to make the team before I graduated. I finally tried out and you know how it turned out - I ended up playing on your team! This was one of the best things that happened to me at MIT...I'm not joking. In addition to basic tennis skills, you taught me a lot more. I want to continue playing tennis all my life..."

Smriti Banthia '99
Varsity Tennis Team Member

"I think that I am much more productive in my work when I exercise during the week. PE tennis class was a great way to exercise and it was a very nice low-pressure environment. MIT is a great place to start to get involved in sports because the instructors are very nice and understanding, as are the fellow students."

Dina Mayzlin '95

"I play tennis because I love it and it's fun. I love competing. Tennis is fun because it's a challenge and I get personal satisfaction from it."

Nisha Singh '00
Varsity Tennis Team Captain

I love tennis - it gives me a chance to get out and exercise during the day, be in the sun, work on my skills as a player, and socialize with others (especially doubles). When I am feeling stressed out, tennis helps take away the tension, when I'm feeling bored, tennis gives me focus and energy, when I'm feeling lonely, tennis gives me company, and when I'm feeling angry, hitting the ball hard is a great release! I play on a regular basis at MIT (about 3 times a week) and have almost always enjoyed my games. I have gotten to know other members of the MIT community through tennis - it's nice to show up at the courts and be able to say Hi to people I have played with (or in the Infinite Corridor). We've had a regular doubles game on Sunday nights with some MIT people and it's been a great way to finish off a weekend.

Why do I play tennis? I love to run around outside (I think I should have been a dog!) and it gives me a chance to do that in a structured fashion, that's really it! I like the competitive aspect too - it helps me focus and keep track of how I'm doing. And finally, I like the feeling of mastery that I (sometimes!) get when I'm playing well - it makes me feel better and more in control in all aspects of my life.

Holly Sweet
Director, GenderWorks
Associate Director, Experimental Study Group

"Saturday's match was undoubtedly a major blow, at least to my opinion of myself as a tennis player. But I've always believed that each new experience teaches you in one way or another. You begin to doubt yourself and your abilities, and even the idea that you can ever improve. I'll regain my confidence in time though. I want to start over. Begin building a new, better athlete. There is nothing I can do now about the match...except use it as a motivation to make myself better."

Shikha Gupta '01
Varsity Tennis Team Member

"I think tennis and athletics in general have been beneficial for me in several ways. Partly because of the chance to get some regular exercise. Also as a social aspect, so that I get a chance to meet people in very different situations than I am in. (Most of the people I know are other graduate students in the same department, so here I can meet people in other departments and undergraduates as well.) Finally, it can be a huge stress relief. At first it might seem like a big time commitment which takes away from studying or work. But really, you can only work for so long before you become too tired, stressed, or burned out to concentrate properly. Taking off some time to get some exercise, clear your mind of troubles, can allow you to get back to work with a fresh perspective that can make the study time more effective.

So I feel like I've had some very good experiences with athletics here at MIT. The tennis class was nice because it had a good size and composition, it's just a pity that it rained so much during June. I'm currently deciding which PE class I will take in the Fall."

F. Javier Femenia
Graduate Student

"Aside from being a very enjoyable sport, tennis is a good way of making friends, reduces stress, as well a good career advancement skill. Being good in math is not enough."

Octavio Richetta
Sloan School Alum

"As an employee, I'm not sure my impressions correlate to the experiences of a student, but I did enjoy having the definate excuse to leave the office at 5 twice a week and get drilled mercilessly on the court. It was also a pleasure to be able to meet some other MIT folks in a non-professional setting.

You were a terrific teacher (so patient and observant!) Since I usually work out on my own in a gym setting, I think it was a good change/challenge for me to get out on the court and frustrate myself in a group setting. :-) Nice to note, too, that this was one sport where the men didn't overwhelm the women."

Angela Meyer
Program Coordinator, Class Giving
MIT Alumni Association

"Certainly my vantage point is not directly associated with the freshman line of sight, but I think its important to note that tennis in the MIT environment presents an opportunity to be part of a community in which a wide range of abilities are respected and in which there appears to be pleasure in enhancing abilities by both the staff and other participants in the program. Clearly there is opportunity to challenge oneself as well as to be challenged by others and to make all of the above a continuing experience."

Stan Weis
Senior Lecturer, Aero & Astro

"To be outside on the court on a summer evening is sooooo nice. You just concentrate on the ball, forget about all the worries at the office etc.

It's a good feeling to use not only your brain but also your muscles.

My mood is definitely better after PhysEd and I feel less stressed and healthier.

It's just a good feeling to learn and feel how you improve - which at school and work is sometimes harder to realize

You meet new peoople.

You can try new sports at MIT - which otherwise are difficult and expensive to get into."

Ruth Ospelt-Niepelt
Harvard Affiliate

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Last modified: 8/26/98 handy@mit.edu