Broward Tennis Blog: No “I” in Teamwork for Local Women 4th at USTA League Nationals

FINAL FOUR: Finishing 4th in the U.S. in a division with more than 1,000 teams.

“I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.”
–William Ernest Henley

A 4.0 Broward County women’s team in the 18 & Over division, which plays out of the public Dillon Tennis Center in the Oakland Park section of Ft. Lauderdale, just got back from Nationals in Palm Springs, where they went all the way to the semifinals.

The squad went undefeated to win its flight 3-0 against Southern California, Missouri Valley, and Eastern, but lost in the semis to Northern California. There are more than 1,000 4.0 teams in this division, and the team won fourth place in the National Championships, receiving a banner for its outstanding play.

Theresa Caruso is not only captain of this great team, she’s also the captain of its soul. For her team, the captain has instilled a philosophy that the other 14 women on the squad have embodied. She extends the widely-held sports notion of “no I in team” to “no I in teamwork,” as well. Her TEAMWORK credo reads as follows:

THE APPLE DOESN’T FALL FAR FROM THE BASELINE: Theresa with her daughter
Casey, who plays 4.0 tennis in Dallas, at the U.S. Open in New York.

T enacity
E nergy/Efficiency
A ttitude
M otivation/Mental Toughness
W inning Spirit
O wnership
R eliability
K nowledge

The executive assistant for a hospital CEO, Theresa runs her team as if she were its CEO. She sees the big picture, knows how to get things done, knows how to communicate clearly, and how to create and maintain high standards. Since coming to Florida from Schenectady in upstate New York 30 years ago, Theresa has run dozens of different teams, and four others this season, as well — a 40 & Over 4.0 women’s squad, two 4.0 mixed doubles teams (18 & Over and 40 & Over), and a women’s combo team (8.5). Last year, the team that went to nationals this year went to the finals of sectionals in Daytona Beach, and lost by one single point.

“I don’t take any divas,” she said. “I recruit that way. I don’t care how good a player is, if she’s a diva, I won’t have her on my team. Strong players have approached me to be on the roster, but I haven’t taken them because of their reputations.”

If a diva sneaks under her radar, “I redirect her attitude, or I don’t use her,” the captain confessed.

No complainers or leavers
Unlike the many dramas that have prematurely put gray and white into the hair of many a South Florida tennis team captain, Theresa’s teams run smoothly and efficiently.

“I’m serious when I say that we have no complainers on my teams, and nobody has ever left a team unless they were bumped up or down, or moved away,” she maintains. Case in point: Local league coordinator Maria Miro has been a regular member on Theresa’s teams for 20 years. The idea that Theresa could easily make some money on the side as a tennis captain consultant is no joke.

The well-organized executive assistant lets people know from the outset that they might not be among the 11 core players on the team — aged from 23 to their 60s — and might have to serve as “subs/alternates.” But injuries, people moving out of the area, and players being bumped up creates opportunities for subs to move into the core rotation. The team lost seven women from last year’s sectional finals squad — strong players who were bumped up to 4.5.

She’s had so many new women wanting to play on her team that she created an “extended” squad. Even though the two teams compete with each other in the division, they regularly practice together, and Theresa helps the extended team co-captains with her managerial skills.

Ten of the 15 women on her team went to USTA League Nationals, while the other five were there in spirit, because “everyone feels that she’s part of the team, even if she plays the whole season as a sub,” Theresa noted. Semi-regular clinics with teaching pros, and practices with each other, keep skills honed.

The team that went to Nationals, celebrating at Sectionals in Daytona Beach.

Theresa’s TEAMWORK credo was clearly manifest in their playoff run. At USTA Florida League Sectionals, Brittany Koptis-Quinlan, who didn’t win a single match in Daytona last year, came back this season “totally committed” and won all four of her singles matches there, as well as three out of four at nationals. Caprice Fade-Thomas, a doubles player all season, had to step onto the singles court in Daytona to replace an injured singles teammate, and prevailed in that unfamiliar spot, as well.

Her TEAMWORK acronym showed up loud and clear in nationals where the squad played seven third-set tiebreakers, winning a whopping six of them (86 percent). Four of those TEAMWORK qualities were particularly evident in capturing those critical third sets — tenacity, attitude, winning spirit, and especially, mental toughness.

The captain, anticipating such nationals scenarios, had her ladies practicing third-set tiebreaks in workouts leading up to the tournament. The Girl Scouts’ motto of “Be prepared” seems to be the mantra for Theresa Caruso, too.