Happy New Year

My family wishes you all a healthy, successful, and happy new year.

I also want to take the opportunity to remember all the loved ones that passed away in 2010.

Varsity G Club Volleyball Champions

Team JS1

Congratulations to Team JS1 for winning the Varsity G Club Volleyball Tournament on December 23. The team is named after Jimbo Saxion who passed away in an automobile accident in August. Jimbo was a senior at Greenville High School and my #1 tennis player.

Daddy the Hero!

 
 Today I spent about 5 hours fixing the family desktop computer. About 3.5 hours was spent on the phone consulting with computer specialists with Time Warner Cable. But finally, I was able to revive the computer. This made my 5 year old daughter very happy. She thinks I am a hero! That makes me feel better than winning a tennis tournament. Granted, I have never won the US Open!

Libertarian Party Co-Founder Dies

David Nolan, co-founder of the Libertarian Party, died recently in Arizona. Nolan helped create the Libertarian Party in 1971 in response to President Nixon's wage and price controls.



Nolan was also known for the Nolan Chart, which expands the way too simplistic left wing/right wing spectrum into more dimensions.

Showcasing The Work of Kris Chapman

I am using this blog entry to showcase the work of Kris Chapman. Kris has been conducting research with the University of Pittsburgh. Kris is a colleague of mine who teaches biology at Greenville High School in Greenville, PA. Kris is dedicated to quality teaching and the pursuit of learning.



The slideshow can be shown full screen. Also be sure to click on the slide to see the transitions that occur on each slide.

A copy of the Power Point presentation can be obtained by clicking HERE.

Testing Gone Wild

As a math teacher administering the Keystone Literature Exam to 11th grade students instead of teaching my AP Calculus and Trigonometry students, I felt compelled to post the following notice for my students on behalf of the state of Pennsylvania.

New Championship Banners

The Greenville High School gym has a refurbished look this year. The new boys' tennis championships are displayed further to the right on the same wall. The picture shows the latest Region Championship.

Whittingham's US Open Journey Ends: Part 2

I am including the second part of Kyle King's writings on tennis and life. Part one is available on this blog. Enjoy!

Whittingham's US Open Journey Ends

Keith Whittingham

 Keith Whittingham, Mercyhurst College's number one tennis player, saw the dream of earning a spot in the US Open Grand Slam Tournament end today when he lost 6-3, 6-1 to Oliver Sajous in the opening round of the field of 16 at the U.S. Open National Playoffs. Keith was competing in the inaugural U.S. Open National Playoff Tournament in a field of nearly 1,000 for the right to earn a wild card entry into the US Open Qualifying Tournament held August 24-27 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open.

Accompanying Keith to Atlanta was Kyle King, Keith's teammate at Mercyhurst College. King was a 2006 graduate of Greenville High School and standout tennis player for the Trojans of Greenville, PA. He finished his collegiate tennis career with several honors (PSAC Spring 2010 Top 10 Award, PSAC Sportsmanship Award, and CoSIDA /ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American).

Kyle King

Kyle is writing about the trip to Atlanta, tennis, and other considerations. I am including the first part of his writing (more will be posted as it becomes available).

Isner-Mahut Epic Match

I made a screencast of the surreal tennis match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledom. Obviously I didn't capture the entire 11 plus hours of play! I just captured the end of the match and some of the post match happenings.

Screencasts and videos online

Grand Slam Tennis History

ESPN has a list of the Champion and Runner-Up for every Grand Slam tournament since 1877 for men and 1884 for women.

GHS Boys' Tennis Team Well Represented in District 10 All-Stars

Erie Times News has published the District 10 All-Stars for Boys' Tennis. Greenville and Hickory dominated the Region 1 All-Stars. This is not surprising since Greenville and Hickory finished the season as Region 1 Co-Champions.

The Greenville All-Stars are as follows:

Jim Saxion - Region 1 1st Team Singles
Cody Marshall - Region 1 2nd Team Singles
Kendal King - Region 1 1st Team Doubles
Chad Ferguson - Region 1 1st Team Doubles
Sebastian Estrada - Region 1 2nd Team Doubles
Kenny Surano - Region 1 2nd Team Doubles

GHS Class of 2010

Best wishes to the Greenville High School Class of 2010! I will miss this talented group very much.

NY Times Correctly Predicted That Federer Would Lose To Soderling In 4 Sets

While most tennis fans were stunned by Federer's loss to Soderling in the Quarterfinals of the French Open, the NY Times predicted the loss and that the loss would occur in 4 sets. The loss ends Federer's streak of 23 consecutive Semifinals or better in Grand Slams. The streak is more than twice as long as the second longest streak of 10. Last year, Soderling ended Nadal's undefeated record at the French Open and prevented Nadal from potentially winning his 5th consecutive French Open championship.

Varsity G Club Trip to Pirates Game

The Varsity G Club took its annual trip to a Pittsburgh Pirates game on Thursday, May 20, 2010. Fifty-five people took a coach bus to enjoy the great weather and beautiful ball park. If the game could have ended after the 1st inning, the Pirates would have beat the Brewers 3-0. Unfortunately, the Buccos could not generate any more offense. The final score was Brewers 4 and the Pirates 3. But the group had a great time!

Greenville Tennis Finishes Another Championship Season

The Greenville Boys' Tennis Team finished the 2010 season as Region 1 Co-Champions. This is the second straight season the Trojans have been Region 1 Champions. While the tennis team failed to win its third straight Tri-County Championship, Cody Marshall was the Tri-County Champion at 2nd Singles and the Tri-County Champions at 4th Doubles were Sean McErlane and Jake Hunker.

Best wishes to the seniors (Cody Marshall, Tyler Wasser, Jeff Hunker, Matt Goda, and Jose Olivares), who have finished their careers with Greenville High School. The accomplishments of the seniors are much appreciated.

Kyle King Named to All-PSAC Team

Kyle King, one of the best tennis players in Greenville High School history, has been named to the All-PSAC Team. Kyle is finishing his collegiate career at Mercyhurst College with some well earned honors.

To date, Kyle has posted a 19-5 record in singles play, primarily competing in the third position. He went a perfect 4-0 in PSAC matches, and was also a key contributor at doubles, going 13-5 at No. 2 doubles with Adam Marnik and 13-6 overall. Kyle was named PSAC Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week March 15. A senior, Kyle has posted a 50-28 career record at singles and has gone 45-34 in doubles competition. Kyle has been captaining the Men's Tennis Team since his freshman year.

Anyone fortunate enough to have spent time with Kyle will tell you that he is not only a terrific tennis player, but he is a special person. I was fortunate to be his teacher and tennis coach. I am proud of the job he has done at Mercyhurst College. I have been lucky enough to have won a couple of doubles titles playing with Kyle.

A Trip To The Dentist

My daughter went to the dentist today and ended up in the jaws of an alligator!

Kyle King and Mercyhurst College Tennis versus Carnegie Mellon University

Mercyhurst College lost a tough match to nationally ranked Carnegie Mellon University. Greenville's own Kyle King won both his singles and doubles matches for the Lakers. Commenting on his win in his singles match, Kyle said "It's one of my better career wins." Check out the video of Kyle and the other players on the Mercyhurst College Men's Tennis Team.

Edmodo - Teaching and Learning Tool

I have been using Edmodo as a teaching and learning tool in my math classrooms the entire school year. Here is a video from ABC News on technology and teaching that talks about Edmodo.

16th Grand Slam Title

Edinboro University of PA to Reinstate Tennis Program

Northwestern Pennsylvania receives more good news for those of us with a passion for the great sport of tennis. Edinboro University of PA has announced that it is reinstating the men's and women's tennis programs for the 2010-2011 season.

This announcement comes just weeks after Thiel College announces that it is also reinstating their men's and women's tennis programs for the 2010-2011 season. I discussed the Thiel College situation in an earlier post.

Since I am enrolled in a graduate program at Edinboro University, I just got a crazy idea. I wonder if I am eligible to join the men's tennis team? Do you think they could use a mature doubles specialist?

Tough Loss

Tough loss. Hand the Cardinals a 17-0 and later on a 21 point lead, only to lose in overtime on a turnover. The season ends in a split second. Unexpectedly.

Everyone knows how much I love Brett Favre. But Aaron Rodgers has proven to be one heck of a quarterback and leader. The loss still hurts. My Packers are out of the playoffs. Now I root for Brett Favre. As always, team (Packers) first, then player (Favre) second. But you really have to love watching Aaron Rodgers nearly as much as Brett Favre.

Happy New Year!