Page 213 - Gonzaga at 60
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GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
Paul Coulson, a distinguished
Gonzaga tennis player, speaking
at the opening of the new
Tennis Courts in 2001
Tennis at Gonzaga
Tennis is an individual sport. It requires complete focus and a certain sense of self to succeed
at it. As a promising young tennis player, everything revolves around you. From an early age
parents and coaches arrange coaching sessions, pracise partners and tournament schedules
both domesic and internaional. The sacriices and ime commitments are huge. When I was
thirteen years old, I decided with the help of my parents that tennis would be the sport I would
focus on. Up unil that age, I had juggled three sports tennis, soccer and Gaelic football. I decided
on tennis because I was the number player for my age in Ireland and I enjoyed the one on one
nature of the sport which really brought out my compeiive insincts.
As I focused my atenion solely on tennis, I inevitably grew to miss the camaraderie and
bond that I had with my teammates on my old soccer and Gaelic teams. Around this ime I was in
second year in school and although I had played tennis for Gonzaga in irst year, I saw it more as
an obligaion than an honour or privilege. I was sill the top junior in the country for my age and
felt I was doing Gonzaga more of a favour by playing and devouring my opponents than the other
way around. However, in second year David Keenahan with the help of the senior team captain
that year John O’ Donovan decided the ime was right for me to play on all three teams: minor,
junior and senior. This enormous opportunity was something I relished and was determined to
prove I could handle the burden of so many matches. I sill look back on that year as a signiicant
reason why I am playing tennis professionally now and have gone on to internaional success
with Ireland at Davis Cup level.
The seniors on that team along with David Keenahan had incredible leadership skills and
taught me the importance of humility and hard work in the classroom and on the tennis court. I
was sill just fourteen years old and looked up to my experienced counterparts John O’ Donovan,
George McMahon, Conor Fearon and Patrick Doran with such awe and respect that I went on to
win every match I played that year. This was largely due to my newfound sense of pride of being
part of something way bigger than me or my individual tennis accomplishments. At the end
of the year, we went on to win the Leinster Senior Cup for the irst ime in many years beaing
Belvedere in the inal. In my own mind, my personal accomplishments were secondary to the
feeling of saisfacion I got in seeing the delight in the seniors and David Keenahan who fought
for so long to win the Cup. Looking back, I realise at this point, I really learned the Jesuit Ideal of
becoming “A man for others”.
As I became one of the more experienced members of the senior team, my respect for
GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
Paul Coulson, a distinguished
Gonzaga tennis player, speaking
at the opening of the new
Tennis Courts in 2001
Tennis at Gonzaga
Tennis is an individual sport. It requires complete focus and a certain sense of self to succeed
at it. As a promising young tennis player, everything revolves around you. From an early age
parents and coaches arrange coaching sessions, pracise partners and tournament schedules
both domesic and internaional. The sacriices and ime commitments are huge. When I was
thirteen years old, I decided with the help of my parents that tennis would be the sport I would
focus on. Up unil that age, I had juggled three sports tennis, soccer and Gaelic football. I decided
on tennis because I was the number player for my age in Ireland and I enjoyed the one on one
nature of the sport which really brought out my compeiive insincts.
As I focused my atenion solely on tennis, I inevitably grew to miss the camaraderie and
bond that I had with my teammates on my old soccer and Gaelic teams. Around this ime I was in
second year in school and although I had played tennis for Gonzaga in irst year, I saw it more as
an obligaion than an honour or privilege. I was sill the top junior in the country for my age and
felt I was doing Gonzaga more of a favour by playing and devouring my opponents than the other
way around. However, in second year David Keenahan with the help of the senior team captain
that year John O’ Donovan decided the ime was right for me to play on all three teams: minor,
junior and senior. This enormous opportunity was something I relished and was determined to
prove I could handle the burden of so many matches. I sill look back on that year as a signiicant
reason why I am playing tennis professionally now and have gone on to internaional success
with Ireland at Davis Cup level.
The seniors on that team along with David Keenahan had incredible leadership skills and
taught me the importance of humility and hard work in the classroom and on the tennis court. I
was sill just fourteen years old and looked up to my experienced counterparts John O’ Donovan,
George McMahon, Conor Fearon and Patrick Doran with such awe and respect that I went on to
win every match I played that year. This was largely due to my newfound sense of pride of being
part of something way bigger than me or my individual tennis accomplishments. At the end
of the year, we went on to win the Leinster Senior Cup for the irst ime in many years beaing
Belvedere in the inal. In my own mind, my personal accomplishments were secondary to the
feeling of saisfacion I got in seeing the delight in the seniors and David Keenahan who fought
for so long to win the Cup. Looking back, I realise at this point, I really learned the Jesuit Ideal of
becoming “A man for others”.
As I became one of the more experienced members of the senior team, my respect for
