Player Diaries

Mariko Fritz-Krockow is a freshman on the
women’s tennis team. Here she chronicles her trip to Atlanta, where
the women’s tennis NCAA Championships are being held.

Monday, May 14

The day has been a real hassle. We only got back to L.A. from
Fresno (Regionals) late last night, and we all had to do our
laundry right then and there until about 2 a.m. Then in the
morning, those who had class went to class and tried to stay awake.
At 1 p.m. we were on the curb in front of Sproul Hall and were
ready to go to the airport to head to Georgia. We had literally
been home for only 12 hours.

The flight wasn’t bad at all. The airplane was fairly
empty, but those who had the luck of being put on a plane with us
weren’t very happy. It’s amazing how much noise six
girls can make! It was loudest when the in-flight movie,
“Miss Congeniality,” showed. We quote the movie all the
time anyway, and so you can imagine the noise level when the actual
movie is showing. But it’s great how we can manage to have a
great time anywhere. That’s what I think is so great about
being a part of this team.

We got in at about 10 p.m. and got to out hotel in Stone
Mountain at about 1 a.m. We were all ready for bed. At least we
didn’t have practice until 2 p.m., unlike the Cal team who we
ran into in the lobby. They were practicing at 10 a.m. It’s
great to be a Bruin!

“¢bull; “¢bull; “¢bull;

Tuesday, May 15

I don’t think anyone got up before 11:30 a.m. Personally,
I don’t even remember getting into my bed; I was so tired.
Turns out I have my own room because our senior, Jen Donahue,
didn’t want to be alone and so naturally, the freshman gets
her own room.

We took the day very slowly. After lunch (which was actually
breakfast), we all went back to our rooms to try to study a little.
I believe that most of us fell asleep again. At 2 p.m., we hit the
courts. They are some of the best courts that I have seen and
played on in a long time. But they must be if they were used for
the 1996 Olympics.

Practice went very well. The whole team was lively and excited
and looking forward to sending Vanderbilt home on Thursday. At one
point during practice, Keiko Tokuda of Stanford came up to us and
congratulated us on making it. “I’m glad you’re
here representing the Pac-10s,” she said with a smile. We are
the best represented conference here. It’s a great feeling to
be part of that.

I found out that my mother is going to come down from Virginia
to watch us play. Lauren Fisher and Jen Donahue’s parents are
going to be here also, which makes us all very happy. It’s
wonderful to have the support of parents.

“¢bull; “¢bull; “¢bull;

Wednesday, May 16

So tomorrow is the big day. The first day of NCAAs. I have never
been here before, and I am getting a little jittery. I know that
I’ll be OK once I am out on the court, but I can’t help
being a little nervous today.

The team practiced at 10 a.m. today. All of us are hitting the
ball well and are ready to play. All the teams were there and we
got to see a little of what we were up against. We know many of the
other players from the other schools from Juniors or dual matches.
I saw one of my oldest friends today for the first time in a couple
of years. We started playing tennis together about 10 years ago.
She now plays for Florida.

Tonight there is a large players’ banquet. Sara Walker and
Jen Donahue are supposed to give speeches, which I am looking
forward to. And then tomorrow, bright and early at 11 a.m., we are
going to take on Vanderbilt. I know that we are going to do our
best and I believe in my heart that we can do well here in
Georgia.