Inside the Locker Room

This week’s Inside the Locker Room focus is Derrick Angle ’12, a tennis player from Troy, NY. As always, The Campus was able to pry intimate details from our subject on a wide array of topics, from the thrill of winning a National championship to the benefits of drinking Pedialyte before a match.

The Campus:When did you first start playing tennis?

Derrick:Probably when I was five or six years old, I started out playing with members of my family.

TC: Why did you decide to come to Middlebury?

DA: I’d heard about Middlebury, knew it was a good school.  The coach saw me play when I was in high school and I visited here and thought it was the best fit for me.  It’s close enough to home for me but not too close, plus I’ve always loved Vermont and thought the guys on the team were great.

TC: What was it like to win a National Championship last year?

DA: It was the most amazing feeling, I know I’d never experienced anything like it. It was such a high when Conrad [Olson ’10] clinched the final point, everyone just sprinted onto the court and started celebrating. It was definitely a high point, especially after all the hard work we’d put in during the regular season.

TC: What’s it like playing for Coach Barr this season now that Coach Schwarz is at Dartmouth?

DA: I love Coach Barr, I’ve always been close with him, so it’s been a great experience for me playing under him as a head coach. He has a lot of experience and was an excellent player in his own right when he was in college. He’s just a very calming and motivational influence for the team, he doesn’t get stressed out or yell, he just knows his stuff and gives the team an excellent element of leadership.

TC: Do you have any kind of pre-game ritual or routine that helps you get ready for matches?

DA: I actually do. I drink Pedialyte, which is sort of a kind of baby drink. I drink it to prevent cramping during matches. It tastes disgusting, it’s really the worst thing to drink, but it helps me out. Other than that I really just go out and play.

TC: Who’s the funniest guy on the tennis team?

DA: Will Oberrender ’13. That kid’s hilarious.

TC: Federer or Nadal?

DA: Nadal 100 percent.  Federer’s too cocky, Nadal seems like more of a genuinely nice guy. I’m glad he won the U.S open this year.

TC: What are your goals for the rest of this year’s tennis season?

DA: I’d really like to do well in the ITA’s (the big individual tournament that takes place every fall). We lost seven seniors off of last year’s team, all of whom started for the National Championship squad, so we all know that this year the rest of us have to step our games up. I really think we can again be a national contender, the talent’s there, we just have to work hard and prepare mentally for every tournament.

As is tradition with Inside the Locker Room, The Campus quizzed a teamate and a friend of the subject’s to see who knew him better. This week we went after Derrick’s teamate Jeronimo Reifkohl ’11 and housemate and former roomate Ben Tabb ’12. The final tally showed that the competition was clearly no contest, as Ben ran away with the victory, matching Derrick’s answers nearly world for word.

— Dillon Hupp, Sports Editor