The 2016 Senior Perspectives is the 11th in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of teams at Harvard have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Harvard.
For a complete listing of 2016 Senior Perspectives, click here.
Kelvin Lam, Men's Tennis
Hometown: Hong Kong
Concentration: Economics
House Affiliation: Leverett
I used to see tennis as an individual sport, but this team has opened up a totally different perspective for me. Being part of the men's tennis team here at Harvard has definitely been the most memorable experience in my life and there is no word for me to describe how much I enjoy practicing and competing alongside my teammates and coaches.
Over the past four years, I had the opportunity to get to know everyone on this team incredibly well. The one quality that I admire most about this team is the ability to handle the tough moments and bounce back from them. Just this year, our team has had numerous ups and downs and I value them as equally important to my experience here. It is easy to enjoy and have fun when things go our way. However, it is the tough moments in which the character on this team started to show. This season has not been as straightforward as it has been the past three years but no one was ever discouraged or walked away. None of us tried to find shortcuts or an easy way out. Instead, I see all these extra hours of practice, the trust and the resiliency knowing that results will come if we work the right way. I am so proud of our ability to put full effort into every match, even if it does not guarantee a win at the end. Even when we lose, I am proud of how we walk out of the stadium with our heads up, knowing we have given our very best.
Last but not least, I would like to thank Coach Fish and Coach Rueb for being such great mentors and coaches during my time here. If I have to rank the people who have had great influences in my life, they would surely occupy the very top spots without a doubt. It is the effort they put in that makes this program so successful and my time here so memorable.
Honestly, I cannot remember all the dual match results over the past four years and surely I am going to remember even less of them as I move on from my collegiate tennis career. However, I know I will always remember how we competed as a team until the very last point of the matches and all the precious moments I have shared with my teammates, coaches and the Harvard tennis family.
