Pull Back the Plaid Curtain on Head Men’s Tennis Coach Michael Belmonte

Get to know head men’s tennis coach Michael Belmonte in this addition of "Pull Back the Plaid Curtain!"

1. What drew you to being a coach – why the path to intercollegiate athletics?

I come from a family of teachers/educators so coaching always seemed to come naturally to me. After dabbling in coaching at the high school level, I knew I wanted to take the next step and try my hand at the intercollegiate level.

2. What is your favorite memory during your time at Carnegie Mellon?

There are really too many to declare a single favorite, but one of my top choices would be in 2015 when we beat the #1 ranked team in the country, Trinity (Tex.), on spring break in California. We came into that match as big underdogs and every one of our guys raised their games to pull out a tremendous 5-4 victory. The match was tied at 4-4 and senior Christian Heaney-Secord clinched the match 7-5 in the third set.

3. Who has been the most influential person in your career?

This is a difficult question because I have several influences from all parts of my life, but the person I've learned the most from and spent the most time with is my good friend and colleague Andy Girard. He hired me when I was a young 20-something and is most responsible for guiding me down this path.

4. What was sports like while you were growing up – how do you think it’s changed?

I was a competitive multi-sport athlete for many years (basketball, soccer, baseball, cross-country, tennis) and I feel as though it was more common to play sports for their defined seasons as opposed to specializing in one sport year-round. I did not focus solely on tennis until my junior year of high school, and I think I would not have had the opportunity to play in college now if I waited that long again. I think it's more common for athletes to pick their favorite sport to focus on earlier because each sport has gotten increasingly competitive. Unless you're a truly exceptional athlete, you need to invest almost all of your time in one sport in order to get to a top college level.

5. What is the most memorable athletic event you have witnessed / been a part of outside of Carnegie Mellon Athletics?

I was in attendance for Game 6 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, where I witnessed the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1. The Penguins were facing elimination, down 3-2 in the series, and needed to win to force a Game 7. The energy/atmosphere in the old Mellon Arena was incredible. I will never forget what it felt like when the final seconds ticked off the clock and the crowd exploded with joy. I still get chills thinking about it! Watch

6. What is one thing that no one knows about you?

I represented my middle school in the National Scripps Spelling Bee. Sadly, I lost in the regional final and did not qualify to be in the national event on ESPN. I will never forget, nor will I ever reveal the word I misspelled!

For other department member responses, visit Pull Back the Plaid Curtain.