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.