Elections...really, please vote!

[Highstein, Mallory]

Hey guys!

So here is how elections will work. You will have until noon on Saturday to send me your votes. Only I will be looking at your votes and it will be completely anonymous so do not feel obligated to vote for your friends, rather vote for who you think would make the best officer. Remember when voting that Club Tennis is entirely student run so whoever you select will be making all of the decisions next year. You will get one vote for each position (two votes for Practice/Player Coordinator), so do not mess this up. Also, to clarify a person can only be elected to one position, so preferences are indicated where appropriate (it's the numbers in the parentheses). Please also take this into consideration when voting. Attached I have people's little speeches. Please read all the blurbs and reflect on your decisions. They are color coded and alphabetized (by last name) for ease of reading. Please let me know if you have any questions/confusions/concerns and don't forget to send in your votes.

Co-President
Running: Matt Burkhardt, Ali Goodyear (1), Jeffrey Kallen (1)

Matt Burkhardt

So this year, at least tennis wise, started off pretty rough.  I was the last one cut from the varsity team, something that I had planned on doing and trained for the whole summer.  After that experience (the tournament was on the first day of school..) I jumped head-first into club tennis with nothing to lose.  I've devoted myself to club tennis this semester, going to nearly every tournament and trying to make every practice.  I feel that I would be a really good fit for this position based on the fact that I have a lot of leadership experience in running practices and what not having been a tennis pro at my local club for 3 years now.  I think a major part in being president also comes from just being at practices and tournaments. Playing on the A team at every tournament that I've been, I feel is something that our president, the person who represents us, should have the tennis ability to do this.  Also next year I'll have a car on campus, because little things like this help a lot.  I feel like I could really help out this club in the next few years and am very open to suggestions. One thing that I feel is that I think more people have to take part in the tournaments.  Honestly, these are the most fun things and create the best team bonding from the tennis-ing to the after match partying :p.  I really think I'm the best candidate for co-president next year, and am ready and willing to devote however much time it takes to make it a fun and enjoyable season!

Thanks guys, luv always
-Matt Burkhardt

Ali Goodyear
Hey everyone, I’m Ali and I’m running for Club Tennis Co-President and Practice Coordinator. I believe that my organization and devotion to the team make me a strong candidate for either of those two positions. My experience serving as captain of my high school tennis and track teams both junior and senior year has given me strong leadership practice and has taught me a lot about the commitment and skills it takes to lead a team. As Co-President or Practice Coordinator, I would fully devote myself to the team and I would love the opportunity to bring my experience to club tennis. My goals are mainly to work with the other exec members to make the club tennis year as fun and successful as possible for everyone. I would love the opportunity to make club tennis even more awesome than it already is! Thanks!

Jeffrey Kallen
Hi, my name is Jeffrey Kallen, and I’m going to try and convince you in a paragraph why you should vote for me to be co-president. Do you love Tennis? Same here! We already have so much in common! As many of you know, I’m an enthusiastic and personable guy that talks a lot -- both on and off the courts. This has been my second year now with Club Tennis, and as I head into my third year, I’d like to really give back to the club that has kept me active, given me fond memories, and introduced me to so many good friends. I’m a great candidate for this position because of my outgoing personality, responsible nature, and experience working with WashU's Sports Club Board. In addition, there are a lot of things I’d like to do to improve the club tennis experience, such as emphasizing a stronger team dynamic by having more activities off the court, and holding an inter-club tennis tournament. It would appear as though I’m reaching the one paragraph limit, so I will end by saying thank you for considering me for the position of co-president and I can’t wait to see everyone on the courts come fall!

Practice/Player Coordinator (Vote for two people)
Running: Jonathan Bauer (1), Kelsey Garnett, Ali Goodyear(2), Jeffrey Kallen(2), Lauren Paley(1)

Jonathan Bauer
Hey Guys, I'm running for the position of Practice/Player Coordinator. I go to pretty much every practice, and I've probably played with all of you at least once, so I know the club tennis members and their skills pretty well. I would be able to appropriately match people up based on their skill and level of play, and I know plenty of drills and games we could play at practice if some folks didn't want to or couldn't play matches. Same thing applies for picking players for tourneys and whatnot: I've seen you play, even if you don't remember it. Plus, I played Intramural tennis this year, so I can also help people get acquainted with that. You may say "That’s cool Jon, but the job description also mentions parties!". Chill out brodeo: I enjoy organizing things, so we're set on team dinners and parties. Plus, you know who has a kick-ass huge shanedling suite next year? This guy. So parties and stuff.
 
Kelsey Garnett

"A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes." -Mahatma Gandhi

When Kelsey Garnett thinks, he is constantly scrolling through his successes.  From being an All-Pro selection from the 2012 Moist Manatees IM soccer team, to his 7-6, 7-6 win over Andy Roddick in the 1996 futures in Tuscaloosa, AL, Kelsey thinks winning.  He is tranquil as a forest, swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a raging, fire typhoon, still, with the mysteriousity of the dark side of the moon.  Time is racing towards us; Garnett for Practice/Player Coordinator 2012.

Ali Goodyear
Hey everyone, I’m Ali and I’m running for Club Tennis Co-President and Practice Coordinator. I believe that my organization and devotion to the team make me a strong candidate for either of those two positions. My experience serving as captain of my high school tennis and track teams both junior and senior year has given me strong leadership practice and has taught me a lot about the commitment and skills it takes to lead a team. As Co-President or Practice Coordinator, I would fully devote myself to the team and I would love the opportunity to bring my experience to club tennis. My goals are mainly to work with the other exec members to make the club tennis year as fun and successful as possible for everyone. I would love the opportunity to make club tennis even more awesome than it already is! Thanks!

Jeffrey Kallen
Hi, my name is Jeffrey Kallen, and I’m going to try and convince you in a paragraph why you should vote for me to be co-president. Do you love Tennis? Same here! We already have so much in common! As many of you know, I’m an enthusiastic and personable guy that talks a lot -- both on and off the courts. This has been my second year now with Club Tennis, and as I head into my third year, I’d like to really give back to the club that has kept me active, given me fond memories, and introduced me to so many good friends. I’m a great candidate for this position because of my outgoing personality, responsible nature, and experience working with WashU's Sports Club Board. In addition, there are a lot of things I’d like to do to improve the club tennis experience, such as emphasizing a stronger team dynamic by having more activities off the court, and holding an inter-club tennis tournament. It would appear as though I’m reaching the one paragraph limit, so I will end by saying thank you for considering me for the position of co-president and I can’t wait to see everyone on the courts come fall!

Lauren Paley
"To all my fellow club tennis players--I am running for Match Play Coordinator and Practice/Player Coordinator. I'm running because I'm a huge fan of club tennis and all the fun, friendship, happiness, and tennis times it has provided. At the moment, I'm running uncontested for Match Play Coordinator, which is cool, because not having competition means I automatically win (I think...). BUT, I implore you to all to think about voting for me for practice/player coordinator because that's more up my alley. I can certainly plan a great party, and I'm all about the fun times--both tennis-related and party-planning-related--so if I were the practice/player coordinator, it's undeniable that club tennis would be having a great time all the time."
 
Match Play Coordinator
Running: Lauren Paley (2)

Lauren Paley
"To all my fellow club tennis players--I am running for Match Play Coordinator and Practice/Player Coordinator. I'm running because I'm a huge fan of club tennis and all the fun, friendship, happiness, and tennis times it has provided. At the moment, I'm running uncontested for Match Play Coordinator, which is cool, because not having competition means I automatically win (I think...). BUT, I implore you to all to think about voting for me for practice/player coordinator because that's more up my alley. I can certainly plan a great party, and I'm all about the fun times--both tennis-related and party-planning-related--so if I were the practice/player coordinator, it's undeniable that club tennis would be having a great time all the time."

Community Outreach Chair
Running: Jonathan Bauer (2), Evan Madill

Jonathan Bauer
I'm also running for Community Outreach because I really enjoy volunteering and have a lot of experience with volunteering. In addition to the Volunteering I did with disabled and underprivileged kids at Summer Camps and on weekends, I even have specific experience helping kids play tennis. In high school, I helped start and run a program called Dreammakers, where we helped kids with developmental disabilities (downs syndrome and severe autism) have fun playing tennis. I also volunteered at the club where I practiced and helped teach kids age 5-12 learn the basics and some more advanced skills of tennis. I wasn't able to do tennis program at the Flynn Park this semester due to class scheduling, but I would really love to get involved and be tennis club's Community Outreach director.

Evan Madill
Hey, everyone. I'm a sophomore bio major and have been doing club tennis for the past two years. I'd like to run for the community outreach position and work on getting some more volunteer opportunities coordinated for people here. The Flynn Park program is great, but I think the timing is suboptimal for a lot of people, so I want to see about starting a half-day clinic in the afternoon maybe one or two Saturdays a semester. Basically, I'd like to get as many teaching opportunities set up as people have interest in participating in. If you have any ideas or questions feel free to email me.

Happy voting and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Best,
Mallory Highstein
WashU Club Tennis President