Sport's President Blog #5
Name: Tom Hunter
Year of study: 3
Course: BA (Hons) History
Club: Tennis
How long have you been involved in your sport and what inspired you to become Club President?
I have been playing tennis from the age of 5 but didn’t get into proper coaching until the age of 10. I have been lucky enough to play a national tournament at Wimbledon and represented my county at under 12,14 and 18 level. Last year I was part of the committee as First Team Captain and worked closely with last year’s President so I knew what the role entailed. I have a passion for tennis so thought that there should be no reason to not put my name forward for the role.
Give us a quick overview of what a day in the life of being president is like.
A day in the life of a President will consist of replying to emails about the club, replying to members who have queries or questions and working on making sure that all members whether social, development or squad are all getting the most out of Tennis at NTU. Also it includes close contact with our current coach about new ideas for the club.
What's been your proudest achievement so far?
This year we have completely reformed the clubs training programmes, both for the teams and for the development and social players to make sure everyone is accommodated for. This has improved the number of people that have been attending sessions as well as their tennis ability. Hopefully with the building of the new tennis center set to be complete in January, this will expand the club even more. In addition, we have introduced a new women’s second team this year who have had a great start to the season.
What's been your toughest challenge?
My toughest challenge so far was to organise the content of all preseason-training sessions – considering it was our first ever preseason as a tennis club – as well as trials and tasters. We had a number of people turn up to the trials and tasters and only had a limited number of courts to use. Luckily we managed to pull it off and the people who came had a lot of fun.
What aims do you have for the rest of the academic year?
Hopefully, NTU Tennis will be entering its first BUCS Individuals event, which normally takes place sometime in February time. It is a national tournament where players will be playing for themselves against the top players in the country, whilst representing NTU. Also, the new tennis center should be finished so there will be a new timetable drawn up for all participants in tennis, which is very exciting.
What's the best thing about being a President?
Being President helps you to make a difference to your club in the long run as well as in the short. The fact that I am contributing to hopefully make this club better in the future is a rewarding feeling. The ability to be able to interact with and help so many different people throughout the club is probably one of the best things about being President. I am lucky enough to have a strong committee that are also very committed to Tennis and they help a lot to make my life easier.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about running for President next year?
First of all, be passionate about your Club and about NTU. It is important to have a good knowledge of how the Club works and to know the Club members. Be as organised as you can be because a President is the ambassador of your club to the rest of the uni, you will be the first person to be contacted about new opportunities and improvements to the Club.
Tell us more about your teammates:
Funniest: Henry Hillyard/ Dan Stone – always try to make people laugh and usually succeed as well as coming up with some great puns.
Best Dressed: Xen Watts – the guy works for Hollister so you gotta think he knows how to dress, he can pull off every look.
Best Taste In Music: Zeferino ‘AJ’ Antonio – he thinks he has the best taste in music but I’ve never seen any Ocean music on his playlists so can’t be that good.
Hardest Trainer: Ben Murray – always is focused at training and wants to improve, never leaves anything out on the court.
Social Butterfly: Ricardo Acuna Martin – never says no to a social gathering, he is making the most out of his year in England that's for sure.
Brain Box: Nils Kriedemann – does his Biochem, or whatever science he studies, work on his laptop on the way to matches.
Best Wednesday Fancy Dress: Louise Barrett – always makes a big effort for Wednesday nights and as Social and Wellbeing Officer she has to set a good example.
