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Farewell Class of 2012!

May 25, 2012 in Shaun's Blog by Shaun | 4 comments

It is always hard to say good-bye to an amazing class. Last year, I thought I experienced the worst, when I had to say good-bye to all my life-long friends and venture into a new environment where I didn’t know anyone. Little did I know that I would venture over three-thousand miles and make closer friends in one year than I have my whole life.

Throughout my life I have been a competitive junior and traveled the U.S. playing national tennis tournaments. Tennis is such an individual sport, and in the juniors you just look out for yourself. In college, it is supposed to be more team oriented, but before coming to Harvard, I didn’t understand the team aspect. In the fall, I continued to play as if I was still an individual. Since then, I feel I have grown so much, as wells as grown closer to the team.

I owe this growth to the four seniors on the tennis team. They are Davis Mangham, Alistair Felton, Jon Pearlman, and Mac McAnulty. While each one has a complete different personality, tennis has unified them and they comprise the HMT class of 2012.

First we have our captains, Davis Mangham and Alistair Felton. Davis is the most responsible person I have met. He is always on top of his work, takes care of his body, and never misses a practice or a workout. More importantly, is one of the coolest people I have ever met, and I always enjoy being in his company.

Davis Mangham

Our other captain, Alistair, hails from Great Britain and has been a great leader through many battles we have had this year. He is a world-class doubles player who can return virtually any shot blasted at him. He also constantly invites us to his room to hang out or watch a movie, and really made me feel part of the team during my first couple months at Harvard.

Alistair Felton

Next, we have Jon. Known for his six-pack beach body physique, he is probably the most entertaining player to watch on a tennis court. His passion and fire is second to none, and he truly wears his heart on his sleeve. He is one of the most hard working tennis players I know, putting several hours outside of practice to improve his game. I really looked up to him this year, and he inspired me to try harder and push my boundaries farther than I thought I could.

Jon Pearlman

Last, but not least, we have Mac. He is one of the most interesting people I know. Not only does he excel in academics, breezing through his undergraduate years with a near perfect GPA and at ticket to Oxford, but he is one the most vocal tennis players both on and off the court.  Whether he has to climb a tree, or shout through a small opening in wall, Mac is always keen on voicing his support in our dual matches.

Mac McAnulty

These four seniors really shaped my first year at Harvard and is the reason why I had such a positive first year experience. Being part of this team has given me so much invaluable experience and memories that will last me for a lifetime. It’s not only in the advice they give and direct commentary, but also through the indirect effects of their actions that they continue to influence everyone on the team. They are our mentors and leaders, and I will continue to look up to them for the rest of my life.

While it is sad to say goodbye to such an amazing class, it is a very essential part of life. This cycle enables the next generation of warriors and fighters, to rise up and make their mark as a member of the HMT. Like many great graduates before them, the HMT class of 2012 will be missed greatly, but they  will never truly be gone, but continue to live and be present through our actions. Congratulations HMT class of 2012, and best of luck in the future!

 

Harvard Men's Tennis Senior Class of 2012

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California Trip/ April Schedule

May 8, 2012 in Shaun's Blog by Shaun | 8 comments

This spring break, the Harvard Men’s Tennis Team left the chilly Boston weather and heading to the sunny beaches of San Diego to compete in the Hilton Mission Valley Spring Classic. This was an 8-team tournament that spanned three days. The tournament didn’t start until the Thursday of spring break, so we had five days to adjust to the outdoor conditions.  At Harvard, we had been playing, predominately indoors since October, so it was nice to play outdoors again.

After the weekend of practice, we took Monday off and had the unique opportunity to visit the Coronado Naval Base. This was an interesting experience, as we were given a tour of the facility and an overview of the different equipment they use.  They also showed us different carriers and helicopters they had.  At the end of the trip, we had the opportunity to take part in a flight simulation. The flight simulation mimicked flying a real helicopter. While I ruled out any hope of being a pilot when I crashed my plane in the first five seconds, this was a great experience.

 

 

The Harvard Men's Tennis Team at the Naval Base in San Diego

 

 

Teammates and me inside the flight simulator


After Monday, for the next three days, we prepared and trained for the tournament.  In our first match of the tournament, we played UC Irvine. After a very suspenseful doubles point that went our way, we headed into the singles matches. While the team support is always great, I was really happy I had some family support during my singles match.  My parents and sister were able to make it down from the Bay Area to watch us play!  It was great to have my family and teammates there cheering me on. Our team secured five of the six singles sets to win the match 6-1.

Due to bad weather, the coaches changed the schedule for the end of the tournament. The semifinals and finals of the tournament were moved to the same day, and the format was altered. With four courts, we played the singles sets first and determined that the doubles would only be played if the match had not been decided. In the semifinals, we played San Diego State.  We were able to pull out wins at the no. 2, 4, and 6 positions to tie the match at 3-3.  Since the match was tied after the singles, we played the doubles point.  After some intense and very close doubles matches, we were able to pull away for a 4-3 win.

In the championship match, we played the #16 nationally-ranked home team, University of San Diego. Playing at night underneath the lights, the singles matches went first.  I played at the no 4 position, and the crowd was right on the edge of my court. My match consisted of many long rallies, and after an hour and a half, I was able to close out a straight set win.  Fellow teammates, Christo Schultz, Henry Steer, and Alex Steinroeder also pulled out singles victories to help the Crimson earn a 4-2 victory and clinch the championship!

 

In the championship match against University of San Diego


While it was hard to leave the wonderful weather and sunny beaches, it was great to return to college life in Cambridge.  Over the past few weeks, there have been many interesting events at Harvard. One of the events I attended was Holi.  Holi is a Hindu religious holiday and is also known as the Festival of Colors.  People celebrate by throwing scented colored powder at each other to mark the end of the winter season and the start of the spring season. On campus, the Harvard South Asian Association hosted a lunch where we played traditional Indian games and enjoyed a wide array of Indian food.  After the lunch we headed to the Winthrop House courtyard, where we were supplied with colored powder, and we proceeded to engage in a very chaotic battle, filled with color, shouting, and many great new memories.

 

Holi celebrations outside Winthrop House


After coming back from spring break, the weeks flew by even faster than normal.  My schedule has been pretty busy with school work and tennis, and now with final exams.  I honestly can’t believe this year is almost over.  Thanks for reading this blog!

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Looking Back at 2011…

January 17, 2012 in Shaun's Blog by Shaun | 1 comment

As I sit here writing this piece, I can’t believe how much has happened in the world this past year. Osama Bin Laden was assassinated, Harry Potter finally triumphed over arch nemesis Lord Voldemort, and Rebecca Black became an infamous internet sensation with her single “Friday”. Not to mention the turmoil regarding European Debt and revolutions in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia.  

My 2011 may not have been as life-altering at the global level but it has been one of the most interesting years of my life. At the beginning of 2011, I was a senior in high school and had just committed to Harvard to play tennis. With college applications behind me, I was able to engage in school activities and events that I couldn’t before. My goal for my last semester in high school was to make it the most memorable semester of high school. I attended Monte Vista pep rallies, went to Senior Ball, and was able to end high school on a high note. To me, high school was a great experience, but I would be naive to think that everyone enjoyed their high school experience. For those high school students on both ends, no matter how great your high school experience is, college is better. Long gone are the days where students are comparing grades, and you have to take subjects that don’t interest you. College is a time for exploration and journeys one can only imagine. Seniors, don’t stress out if you aren’t accepted into your dream school. Each college offers a unique education that is invaluable in many ways. I know college decisions seem like everything in the moment, but the most important thing in the long run is to find a school that is a perfect fit.

For myself, I couldn’t have imagined a better first semester in college. Looking back, I never imagined I would have had the opportunity to do half the things I have done first semester.  It was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in high school, but looking back it makes much more sense.

While it is always sad to be at the end of one year, it seems that 2011 was just a small taste of what 2012 will bring. While it is safe to assume we won’t be visiting nearby galaxies, 2012 looks to be a year when the human race will push the boundaries further than they’ve stretched before. It is impossible to predict what may happen in 2012, but whatever happens trust that your dots will connect in the future. Good luck seniors, and Happy New Years to all!

Timeline of my 2011:

My three sisters (Sona, Sheena, Sabina) and I are hanging out and playing Wii.

With my best high school friend, Logan, and AP Calculus teacher (Mrs. Shackelford)

Playing tennis with long-time childhood friends

Harvard Men’s Tennis Coaches (Dave Fish & Andrew Rueb),Uncle Tara, and I at Freshmen Move-in

Eating at Annenberg (our freshman dining hall)

Upasna and I are studying economics

Connor, Sietse, Brennan, and I are playing bughouse chess

 

Stella and I rejoicing after taking our math final exams!

Back home for the holidays!

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Officially done with my First Semester at Harvard!

December 23, 2011 in Shaun's Blog by Shaun | 6 comments

Hey, everyone! In the past couple of weeks, I attended some of the most interesting and rewarding events of my semester.

The first event I attended was the Thud Concert. Thud is a musical group on campus that creates music by banging objects together. This may be a very vague description, but this concert was unlike any other concert I have ever attended. The group first welcomed the new members of the group by playing the Simpsons theme song, as the new freshmen came out acting as the Simpsons characters. After the introduction, the group performed five different songs, using drums, chairs, basketballs, and many other unusual objects.

It is a little hard to describe this concert, so I created a VIDEO!!!, which highlights most of the performances.  Hope you enjoy it!

 

My friends and me at the Fall Thud Concert

 

This past weekend, Mike Mercier, a staff member of the Harvard Men’s Tennis Team(HMT), hosted a wheelchair tennis event. A couple of HMT members were there to help out. At the beginning of the event, Mike conducted drills and gave instruction to the wheelchair tennis players. After an hour, Mike split all the participants into two teams, the North and the South. I was part of the South team, while my HMT teammate was on the North team.  To determine the winner of the Lobster Cup, each team played 3 doubles matches and one singles match. The match format was a regular set (first team to six games, win by two). Both teams competed hard, and the score was 2-2 after this first round of matches. To determine a winner, two more doubles matches were played as a tiebreaker. The South Team won both the doubles matches and claimed the title 4-2.  It was a great event! Having played for eleven years, I thoroughly enjoy tennis, so I was happy that I could give back to a sport that has given me so much.

 

Playing doubles for the South Team during the Wheelchair Lobster Cup

 

Lobster Cup- Wheelchair Tennis hits at Harvard

 

Beyond attending these events, my main focus has been studying for my exams.  Of my four classes,  I had two final exams for Math 1B and Economics 10 and a final paper in Expository Writing 20. In my4th class, Science of Living Systems 20, there was no final exam. In addition to final exams, I played a lot of chess, hung out with various friends, and played tennis.

Now I am on my way back to California. While I have had such a great semester at Harvard, I am looking forward to heading back home. I miss my family a lot, and I am looking to have a restful break! Thanks for reading everyone! In my next blog, I am going to write a reflection on my impressions and thoughts about my first semester at Harvard. Stay tuned, it should be up in a week! Happy Holidays everyone!

 

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From Gazing at the Moons of Jupiter to Playing Tennis in Virginia

November 13, 2011 in Shaun's Blog by Shaun | 2 comments

This past week has been very interesting and exciting.  At the beginning of the week, I attended the STAHR Telescope Training Class.  STAHR is an undergraduate organization, which stands for Student Astronomers at Harvard-Radcliffe. The STAHR club meets in an observatory located at the top of the Science Center, one of Harvard’s main buildings for science classes and labs for undergraduates.  During the class, we received hands-on practice using a telescope and were taught how to use star maps to locate constellations in the night sky. The telescope we used is called the Loomis-Michael Telescope, and it’s quite large!  On this particular night, Jupiter was visible, and we were able to see the color scheme of the planet, as well as four of its moons.

An officer handling the Loomis-Michael Telescope in the observatory.

In addition to the STAHR club meeting, I attended the chess club meeting this week. The chess club traveled to Stamford, Connecticut to compete at a regional prize money tournament. This week, they had an informational meeting where they went over different strategies. Chess club meetings are a low time commitment, usually lasting only an hour or two. After the formal training part of the meeting, we paired up and played several games of chess.

Photo from the Chess Club

This past weekend, the Harvard Tennis Team competed at an invitational event at William and Mary. At the invitational event, four teams competed- William and Mary, University of Maryland BC, George Washington University, and Harvard.

The first team practice at the William and Mary Tennis Center

Each day, our team played another team in the “college format,” which includes 6 singles matches and 3 doubles matches.  On the first day, we faced University of Maryland BC and swept the singles and doubles matches. Then, we played George Washington University and won 4 out of the 6 singles matches and 2 out of the 3 doubles matches. After the matches on the second day, the team had a team dinner in honor of junior Josh Tchan’s birthday. We headed to an Italian restaurant and had a wonderful time. The food was amazing, and it was a great team bonding event.

Tennis Team celebrating Josh Tchan's 20th Birthday.

On the last day, we played William and Mary and won 5 out of the 6 singles matches and all 3 doubles matches. Overall, it was a great tournament to end our fall season. With the fall season over, the number of workouts have decreased. The team will resume official practices in January, and in the meantime, I’ll enjoy the downtime!

Harvard's Doubles Teams competing against William and Mary

After the tournament, the team took a tour of William and Mary’s campus. It was a beautiful day, and the campus was really nice.  We took some photos in front of statues (like tourists do on Harvard’s campus!) and visited some of the shops nearby.

Tennis Team touring William and Mary's campus.

After touring the campus, the team headed to the airport and flew back to Boston. While it was a great trip, I am very happy to back in Boston within the comforts of Harvard’s campus.

 

 

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