All in the Family
October 26, 2010 11:32 AM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The infamous bright red clay courts at Roland Garros. The immaculate grass courts at the All England Tennis Club. The treacherous hard courts in Melbourne Park and Flushing Meadows. Along with names such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Venus and Serena Williams, these venues are often the images that present themselves in the minds of tennis fans whenever the sport is mentioned.
The tennis greats that roam these courts often start playing at a young age, with plenty of professional training and only one thought in mind: making it to the very top of this prestigious sport.
For senior tennis player Ashley Pilsbury, the beginning of her career was not so different from the beginnings of those mentioned above. While the ultimate goal may not have been the same, the hard work and dedication she put into the sport at a young age could rival that of other players at her level.
“For as long as I can remember I’ve always played tennis,” she reminisced. “From the time I could walk, I had a racket in my hand. My father and I would play ping-pong and use toy tennis rackets to play with balloons. By the time I was six or seven, I was playing in my first tournament.”
Ashley’s father, Eliot Pilsbury, is an accomplished tennis professional himself, having been ranked as high as No. 22 in the world in singles, and first in the state of Florida in doubles. The first male tennis player to receive and graduate in 1969 with a full scholarship from the University of Wisconsin, Pilsbury graduated went on to work for Nick Bollettieri, a legendary tennis coach who has worked with the likes of Andre Agassi, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, and Maria Sharapova. After a few years with Bollettieri, however, Pilsbury moved to Charleston, W.Va., after a new tennis teaching opportunity presented itself. He would remain there for 32 years before eventually moving back to his home state of Florida.
“My father has had a great influence on me,” Pilsbury commented. “I think we’re closer than most father and daughters because we have that bond, having always spent time together. It was hard sometimes having him as a coach because of arguments growing up, and whenever I went home we would always talk about tennis. I never really got away from it, but I definitely think it’s helped me in the long run because he’s taught me so much about never giving up and always pursuing your goals.”
Her father is not the only family member who’s had an influence on her tennis career, however. Pilsbury’s older brother Dane also had a very successful junior tennis career. Growing up, they would often practice with each other, using each other as hitting partners.
“I would go with him and Dad to his tournaments and watch and learn from that,” Pilsbury remarked. “I always had him as a hitting partner growing up, too. Most people have to pay for that, but I had that all the time whenever I wanted it.”
“Dane was an influence on her, mainly because they were always playing together,” added her father, Eliot. “They made a great doubles team because they actually got along. Most brothers and sisters don’t get along real well, but they did. They’re great playing mixed doubles together.”
Looking back, Pilsbury can remember going to work with her father before she even began kindergarten. They would often spend time together on the courts in between lessons, hitting balls back and forth, already working on her consistency, a point that Eliot Pilsbury has always stressed greatly to his students.
“Ashley has always been so consistent,” he said. “She just doesn’t beat herself very much. Somebody has to beat her with a good shot; she won’t go out there and double fault much or make a lot of mental mistakes because I’ve always been so big on consistency.”
After experiencing great success at the high school level, having played for four years at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Fla. and being honored with an induction into the Spruce Creek High School Hall of Fame, the time came for Pilsbury to pursue a collegiate career. Being a Mountaineer was at the top of her list.
“I knew that I wanted to go to a big school and play Division I because I had worked so hard over the years and I wanted to obtain a full scholarship,” she remarked. “A lot of it also had to do with growing up here, too, because my Mom’s family still lives here so I can go and visit them when I have the time.”
“Ashley wanted to go back to West Virginia and I think it’s great that she did, because I spent so many years there,” Eliot said. “When we moved down here she was going into the seventh grade, so basically she spent six years up in West Virginia and six years down here in Florida.”
Lessons from her father and brother over the years have certainly paid off. Last year, Pilsbury was the only member of the tennis team to record 30 victories, and because of this success, she was named the team’s most valuable player. She also had a great year in the class room being named a BIG EAST Academic All-Star and being placed on the Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll. Yet regardless of coming off of such a strong junior season, Pilsbury still has her sights set a little bit higher.
“I had a 30-win season, but I still want to do a little bit better. I’ve always played towards the bottom of the lineup because that’s my game style and people depend on me to win, but this year I’d like to play a little higher in the lineup. But if that doesn’t work out, I just want to have a lot of wins in doubles and singles, maybe over 30, and finish higher at BIG EAST.”
With new head coach Tina Samara and a new assistant coach in Brian Sullivan, both Pilsbury and her father believe that her goals can be accomplished this year.
“Everyone is really excited about our new coaches because they bring a great atmosphere and are so positive and encouraging. They both remind me of my Dad, and I’m happy to be here this year because they’re going to take us in the right direction,” she said.
As for continuing play after graduation, Pilsbury can see herself doing so.
“I think that I’ll always play just for fun. I can see myself coaching on the side somewhere, but I really want to pursue my degree because I want to be a psychologist. That’s what I really want to do.”
In the meantime, she remains focused on the upcoming spring season, and appreciative of her father’s efforts in shaping her into the tennis player she has become today.
“He’s taught me everything I know and he’s the person I always go to for advice. If I ever have a problem with my game I can call him up and he can fix it for me right away and it makes me feel better about things,” she concluded.
The tennis greats that roam these courts often start playing at a young age, with plenty of professional training and only one thought in mind: making it to the very top of this prestigious sport.
For senior tennis player Ashley Pilsbury, the beginning of her career was not so different from the beginnings of those mentioned above. While the ultimate goal may not have been the same, the hard work and dedication she put into the sport at a young age could rival that of other players at her level.
“For as long as I can remember I’ve always played tennis,” she reminisced. “From the time I could walk, I had a racket in my hand. My father and I would play ping-pong and use toy tennis rackets to play with balloons. By the time I was six or seven, I was playing in my first tournament.”
Ashley’s father, Eliot Pilsbury, is an accomplished tennis professional himself, having been ranked as high as No. 22 in the world in singles, and first in the state of Florida in doubles. The first male tennis player to receive and graduate in 1969 with a full scholarship from the University of Wisconsin, Pilsbury graduated went on to work for Nick Bollettieri, a legendary tennis coach who has worked with the likes of Andre Agassi, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, and Maria Sharapova. After a few years with Bollettieri, however, Pilsbury moved to Charleston, W.Va., after a new tennis teaching opportunity presented itself. He would remain there for 32 years before eventually moving back to his home state of Florida.
“My father has had a great influence on me,” Pilsbury commented. “I think we’re closer than most father and daughters because we have that bond, having always spent time together. It was hard sometimes having him as a coach because of arguments growing up, and whenever I went home we would always talk about tennis. I never really got away from it, but I definitely think it’s helped me in the long run because he’s taught me so much about never giving up and always pursuing your goals.”
Her father is not the only family member who’s had an influence on her tennis career, however. Pilsbury’s older brother Dane also had a very successful junior tennis career. Growing up, they would often practice with each other, using each other as hitting partners.
“I would go with him and Dad to his tournaments and watch and learn from that,” Pilsbury remarked. “I always had him as a hitting partner growing up, too. Most people have to pay for that, but I had that all the time whenever I wanted it.”
“Dane was an influence on her, mainly because they were always playing together,” added her father, Eliot. “They made a great doubles team because they actually got along. Most brothers and sisters don’t get along real well, but they did. They’re great playing mixed doubles together.”
Looking back, Pilsbury can remember going to work with her father before she even began kindergarten. They would often spend time together on the courts in between lessons, hitting balls back and forth, already working on her consistency, a point that Eliot Pilsbury has always stressed greatly to his students.
“Ashley has always been so consistent,” he said. “She just doesn’t beat herself very much. Somebody has to beat her with a good shot; she won’t go out there and double fault much or make a lot of mental mistakes because I’ve always been so big on consistency.”
After experiencing great success at the high school level, having played for four years at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Fla. and being honored with an induction into the Spruce Creek High School Hall of Fame, the time came for Pilsbury to pursue a collegiate career. Being a Mountaineer was at the top of her list.
“I knew that I wanted to go to a big school and play Division I because I had worked so hard over the years and I wanted to obtain a full scholarship,” she remarked. “A lot of it also had to do with growing up here, too, because my Mom’s family still lives here so I can go and visit them when I have the time.”
“Ashley wanted to go back to West Virginia and I think it’s great that she did, because I spent so many years there,” Eliot said. “When we moved down here she was going into the seventh grade, so basically she spent six years up in West Virginia and six years down here in Florida.”
Lessons from her father and brother over the years have certainly paid off. Last year, Pilsbury was the only member of the tennis team to record 30 victories, and because of this success, she was named the team’s most valuable player. She also had a great year in the class room being named a BIG EAST Academic All-Star and being placed on the Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll. Yet regardless of coming off of such a strong junior season, Pilsbury still has her sights set a little bit higher.
“I had a 30-win season, but I still want to do a little bit better. I’ve always played towards the bottom of the lineup because that’s my game style and people depend on me to win, but this year I’d like to play a little higher in the lineup. But if that doesn’t work out, I just want to have a lot of wins in doubles and singles, maybe over 30, and finish higher at BIG EAST.”
With new head coach Tina Samara and a new assistant coach in Brian Sullivan, both Pilsbury and her father believe that her goals can be accomplished this year.
“Everyone is really excited about our new coaches because they bring a great atmosphere and are so positive and encouraging. They both remind me of my Dad, and I’m happy to be here this year because they’re going to take us in the right direction,” she said.
As for continuing play after graduation, Pilsbury can see herself doing so.
“I think that I’ll always play just for fun. I can see myself coaching on the side somewhere, but I really want to pursue my degree because I want to be a psychologist. That’s what I really want to do.”
In the meantime, she remains focused on the upcoming spring season, and appreciative of her father’s efforts in shaping her into the tennis player she has become today.
“He’s taught me everything I know and he’s the person I always go to for advice. If I ever have a problem with my game I can call him up and he can fix it for me right away and it makes me feel better about things,” she concluded.
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