Men's tennis seniors talk philosophy, intramural volleyball

I suppose you learn something new every day.

Today is the first nice weather we've had in days, and senior tennis players Ben Aslesen and Jon Hawkinson are out teaching me how much a serve can look like a fuzzy yellow cannonball as they lazily fire them past my head.

Despite his tall stature, Aslesen is a mostly unassuming character—definitely the silent type—but he's got a wingspan like a damn eagle and can generate a surprising amount of force when he hits a ball your way.

Hawkinson, too, is a tall, lean sort of bookish type. His circular glasses ride low on his nose, and every time he swings he takes his finger and pushes them back up to his eyes.
He just gave plasma today and is looking a little pale and lightheaded. Even so, he manages to stay focused enough to match Aslesen in both wingspan and power.

It strikes me that neither of these men seem particularly athletic. They're stoic, and only every once in a while will they throw quiet taunts at each other, questioning each other's manhood and ability to hit.

The men's tennis team has had a less-than-stellar season, to say the least, but that doesn't keep them from playing.

The women's team has received far more credit than the men this year, and rightfully so. The women have had one of the best seasons on campus and deserve the attention.

Still, the men's team just keeps plinking away at games, doing their best and enjoying the ride.

''It's not about winning and losing,'' Aslesen says. ''But to be honest, I still haven't figured out exactly what it's about.''

Unlike many of Augie's other athletic programs, the tennis boys don't get any scholarships to attract players. The team is made up of people who love playing the game. Their hearts are in their sport; they just don't care too much about winning.

Then the whole thing turns. Tennis isn't the most important part of this conversation.

We play for a while, but after a short time the two of them decide we should take a break and relax. It's a nice day. No sense in wearing yourself out playing tennis. I expect to take a quick break and then get back up to keep playing, but our conversation quickly turns to Søren Kierkegaard and his book Fear and Trembling.

I fail to see many of the connections between a 19th century Danish philosopher and the game of tennis, but both Aslesen and Hawkinson are philosophy majors, and we start discussing the meaning of the book, talking about whether or not there is such a thing as an eternal consciousness and how the answer to that question relates to the purpose of our existence in the universe.

No offense to any other teams I've interviewed over the years, but I can't say I've ever heard one of their practices ending in a heavy philosophical debate over the justness of God and the role of religion in humanity.

Just as quickly as the discussion about Kierkegaard ends, Hawkinson smiles and immediately dives into another completely unrelated topic. He asks me if I've heard of the men's tennis volleyball team.

Why no, I have not.

Turns out the men's tennis team is a far more formidable volleyball force to be reckoned with than a tennis team.

The men of the tennis team have assembled an intramural volleyball team that apparently has been inspiring fear in the hearts of its competitors for years.

This year, as a tennis team, they ended with an overall record of 5-7. Not terrible, but certainly not great.

However, as a volleyball team, their combined efforts have kept the men's tennis team undefeated for the past two years.

Both of the men talk about this with a sort of glowing pride that I wouldn't expect most athletes to have.

Wrestlers are proud about their matches.

Tracksters are proud of their races.

Football players are proud of their games.

The men's tennis team is proud of volleyball.

As we pack up and leave the courts, I see that I have had somewhat of a strange interview.

I came in expecting to get crushed by the tennis guys—and I did—but in the end I got a head full of philosophy about man and God and law, not to mention the privilege of meeting the star members of the most finely tuned intramural volleyball team on the face of the planet.