Help BU Tennis Club go to Nationals
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Scarlett and I'm the co-captain of Boston University (BU) Tennis Club with John for Team A, Daylon and Evan for Team B, and assisted by our president, Maddie. We're all Boston University students (undergraduate + graduate) and we've poured our hearts into this club because it's more than just a sport for us- it's a way of life. Throughout our juniors to the present, tennis has been with us in every step of the way and has made us the people who we are today. Last fall, we were very happy and fortunate to have placed 5th at Tennis on Campus' (TOC) New England Sectionals, earning the bid to Nationals in Orlando, Florida from Thursday, April 7 to Saturday, April 9.
We're looking forward to competing and representing BU there, but realistically we are struggling in funding for our trip. The tournament entry fee alone is $400 and we were initially planning to cover that fee with our club budget under BU's Student Activities Office (SAO). However, we have been told that no funding will be given for our trip because of the competition status our organization has been running on compared to a social, recreational club status as SAO wants. With the hotel expense of approximately $2,100 in total to have 3 rooms, our team's individual flight tickets amounting to a roundtrip of about $250-450 per person, and spare money for food adding up to about $50-100 per person, finances are unfortunately a large factor in whether we compete or not.
Tennis surely has different levels, from beginner to intermediate to advanced, and we firmly reckon that tennis can be suited for both competitive and recreational play as it ultimately depends on the players themselves. With BU Tennis Club being one of the largest student organizations on campus, there's undoubtedly going to be a difference in skill levels. At the end of the day, we're striving for recreational and competitive players to coexist and be there for one another. We understand that limited resources, such as court space at BU's Track and Tennis Center or not having access to athletic trainers and coaches, and funding are repeated issues brought up within our school's administration. Yet, we still have faith that both parties could be content with a compromise that can hopefully be reevaluated and reached with SAO and BU Athletics in the future. In the meantime though, we recognize and accept the new approach SAO is going to take in the fall with making Tennis Club recreational.
We love tennis just as much as the rest of the students and staff at BU do, and we want our hard work and abilities to be shown proudly in a fun, healthy way, not to be discouraged or forced to be hidden. By competing in Nationals, we're not only competing for our school and those who share a passion for the sport, but especially for those in the BU community who have expressed interest in training safely, playing in matches with other universities' club tennis teams, entering TOC competitions, and hosting practices. Thank you so much for listening to our story, and as one might say, let's leave it all on the court!
We're looking forward to competing and representing BU there, but realistically we are struggling in funding for our trip. The tournament entry fee alone is $400 and we were initially planning to cover that fee with our club budget under BU's Student Activities Office (SAO). However, we have been told that no funding will be given for our trip because of the competition status our organization has been running on compared to a social, recreational club status as SAO wants. With the hotel expense of approximately $2,100 in total to have 3 rooms, our team's individual flight tickets amounting to a roundtrip of about $250-450 per person, and spare money for food adding up to about $50-100 per person, finances are unfortunately a large factor in whether we compete or not.
Tennis surely has different levels, from beginner to intermediate to advanced, and we firmly reckon that tennis can be suited for both competitive and recreational play as it ultimately depends on the players themselves. With BU Tennis Club being one of the largest student organizations on campus, there's undoubtedly going to be a difference in skill levels. At the end of the day, we're striving for recreational and competitive players to coexist and be there for one another. We understand that limited resources, such as court space at BU's Track and Tennis Center or not having access to athletic trainers and coaches, and funding are repeated issues brought up within our school's administration. Yet, we still have faith that both parties could be content with a compromise that can hopefully be reevaluated and reached with SAO and BU Athletics in the future. In the meantime though, we recognize and accept the new approach SAO is going to take in the fall with making Tennis Club recreational.
We love tennis just as much as the rest of the students and staff at BU do, and we want our hard work and abilities to be shown proudly in a fun, healthy way, not to be discouraged or forced to be hidden. By competing in Nationals, we're not only competing for our school and those who share a passion for the sport, but especially for those in the BU community who have expressed interest in training safely, playing in matches with other universities' club tennis teams, entering TOC competitions, and hosting practices. Thank you so much for listening to our story, and as one might say, let's leave it all on the court!
Organizer
Scarlett Blydenburgh
Organizer
Boston, MA
Begin your fundraising journey
