TexasCollegeTennis.com decided there needs to be an unofficial guide to College Station, for those travelling to Aggieland for the NCAA Tournament. I am breaking the guide into two parts. Part I is an interview with Kevin O’Shea, the Director of Tennis Operations at Texas A&M University and one of two people tasked with running the event (the other is Steve Miller, A&M Director of Events). Part II will be an insider’s guide to all points of interest in the Bryan/College Station area.
The George P. Mitchell Tennis Center will host the event on its 12 varsity courts. There are also 18 additional courts on site that will be used for practice.
TCT.com’s Interview with Kevin O’Shea, Director of Tennis Operations at TAMU.
TCT: What can fans expect when they get to College Station?
KO: Over the last year and a half, we have taken great care in upgrading the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. Texas A&M has spent over $300k resurfacing the courts, replacing wind screens and adding state-of-the-art technology to the courts. The technology upgrades include cameras, microphones and new scoreboards on all 12 varsity courts in the stadium.
We also added four speakers for announcing that you can hear all the way to Kyle Field (A&M’s football stadium).
This is great for tennis. We host an ITF (grade 4) and the Summer Grand Slam (the USTA Texas junior championships), so this will benefit those events too.
TCT: Talk a bit about what the fans who stay home will see.
KO: We are now one of five schools in the country with live streaming. The challenge in tennis is that rather than just one field, you are dealing with 12 courts. Another thing we felt was important was the addition of microphones on every court, so now not only can you watch a match, but hear the action.
We had a parent watching the matches last week from Russia and they could also hear their son’s voice. It is a pretty amazing experience.
Scoring will also be available online immediately from the chair umpire keying it in, instead of an SID updating it.
The other thing you will see, or rather not see, are ads. That was real important to us. We run all of the technology ourselves. You will be able to switch between courts quickly.
TCT: About how many people can your servers hold at one time?
KO: From what our web guys say, there is no cap, so we will see.
TCT: Texas A&M is known for its traditions and excellent crowd support, what should first-timers expect to see?
KO: With three Texas teams playing on Thursday, there will be a lot of buzz around the place. The largest paid attendance for a match we know of is 2339 (TAMU vs. Georgia, 5-18-2002) and we hope to break that Thursday night.
There is a saying about Aggie Tradition that from the outside looking in, you cannot understand it, and from the inside looking out, you cannot explain it. Hopefully fans can experience a little Aggie Tradition.
We are not allowed to play our “War Hymn”, but I would tell people to prepare to see a lot of maroon. I compare our fans to Cub fans. We have only ever reached the Elite 8, but our fans support us as if we have as many championships as UCLA. They are extremely knowledgeable and know when it is time for the crowd to get into it.
TCT: What else can you tell fans coming from outside of Texas who may not be familiar with the area?
KO: People should expect the warm Texas hospitality and a ‘Howdy’ welcome. It’s all of the little things we do here in Texas to make you feel at home.
We already have teams here (this interview was conducted Sunday night) who want to practice. Unfortunately the facility is not open to the teams until Tuesday, so we have worked with some local clubs and the area high school coaches that have been more than willing to accommodate them.
We had some non-roster kids coming to support their team that were trying to find housing of some sort. After a few phone calls, we were able to take care of them.
If you have a question about where to eat, what to do or how to get somewhere, just ask someone wearing maroon. They will be more than happy to help you out (Editor’s note: even Ole Miss fans).
TCT: Thanks, Kevin and I look forward to seeing everyone in College Station later this week.
COMING TOMORROW NIGHT: PART II OF THE UNOFFICIAL NCAA GUIDE TO COLLEGE STATION, ALL OF THE INSIDE SCOOP!
