As I staggered out to my café-com-leite maker this morning I found a magazine conspicuously placed in front of it. My wife, a Binghamton University graduate, wanted me to be sure to see an article entitled “Advantage, Sven.”
Wow! An athlete with character!
Katherine Karlson highlights Sven Vloedgraven as a “nationally ranked tennis player,” and quotes Binghamton’s head coach for men’s tennis assessment of his college career as, “back-to-back championships in a region that has almost 40 different schools in it.”
Four things stood out as I read the article.
He is focused. Karlson quotes him – “A busy schedule keeps me on top of things, so I use my time well. I don’t have a TV.”
He is competitive and considerate. He has been called “the fairest competitor” who “constantly gives away his line calls, as well as applauds his opponent’s success.” Nevertheless, he is “a tiger between the white lines,” making his opponents “earn every point.”
He is, as a tennis player, an example of what I understand as a man of noble character. As one Columbia University competitor put it, “He’s also a terrific role model who is nice both on and off court.
He is others oriented. Although a singles player, Sven Vloedgraven is very much a part of the University’s team of eight players all from different countries. Their team is described as “a tight knot of friends who also relax by hanging out together.” Concerning the team relationship, Sven says, “Team victories are always more special than individual victories because you can celebrate together.”
I strongly urge you to read this article. I know nothing of where the young man is in terms of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but the impression he makes on others as an athlete is worth a long, hard look.
You can check out his career biography here.
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