Cze-Ja Tam - Women's Tennis

Cze-Ja Tam is a captain for the 2011-12 Carnegie Mellon women's tennis team that is ranked currently 4th in the nation. Cze-Ja will be graduating in May with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

After graduating as a student-athlete from high school, I always wondered how the same role would differ in a university setting, especially being thousands of miles away from home. Little did I know, my teammates were anxious to get to know me and to start competing together. We even had a team dinner the first week of school so that we could develop a tight bond right off the bat. College, which all seemed intimidating and new to me, marked the start of a new beginning with new friends and teammates.

The most memorable and significant experience I have had with the team was from freshman year at the ITA Indoor Championships. We were playing Denison in the semifinals and tied them 4-4, but the last match depended on the outcome of my singles match. As a freshman at the time, there was lots of pressure and I did not want to disappoint my teammates and coaches. I fought hard and long for four hours, and my teammates were faithfully watching and cheering me on every minute. Every point and game I lost, I panicked and hoped that I would be able to stay positive and in the game.

With the entire team behind me, and constantly encouraging me to continue fighting, my determination could not be stopped – I knew the whole team was in this match together, including the coaches. By the end of the match, I had a full body cramp and my legs were starting to fail me. However, my teammates and coaches continued to push me forward to the win. After a grueling but satisfying experience, I realized how much I loved and appreciated the team. From then on, I knew my next few years would be a blast and one of the best experiences in life

Not only are your teammates there for you on and off the court, but they also will be some of the friends that will stay by your side in the long run. Team bonding and friendship are of high priority to me, and being able to communicate well and compete together as a unit is crucial to a team's success. Although I am one of three captains, leadership does not depend solely on the captains, but also on the team members. We often discuss that everyone on the team is a leader and with that philosophy, I have seen growth in both my teammates and myself.

I definitely did not expect to become the team leader that I am today. I admired and looked up to the previous captains and how they led the team, and now know that they have inspired me and taught me the values of camaraderie, determination, and leadership. And now as captain, I am able to see the bigger picture of how the coaches and the team mesh together so that we can all grow and improve as one, on and off the court.  

I know that I would not have learned the social, leadership, or disciplinary skills that I now have without this team. I will definitely miss the team and the coaches very much, but I know and look forward to the future leaders that will grow and mature out of being a part of the CMU athletics program.