Dec 2, 2009 By: yunews
Stephanie Kimmel Makes All-Skyline Second Tennis Team Using Left Hand
Expectations were high for Stephanie Kimmel in 2008. The Stern College for Women student-athlete had been voted to the first-team All-Skyline Conference women’s tennis team in 2007, an honor based on votes of the head women’s tennis coaches within the conference. But a scary moment came during 2008’s pre-season training camp when Kimmel injured her right brachial plexus—a cluster of nerves that sends signals from the spinal cord and controls movement and sensation in the arm, hand and shoulder—leaving her sidelined for most of the year, unable to hold her racket and swing with her dominant right arm.
“At first, I didn’t really know what to think,” Kimmel said. “There were definitely many points where I thought that I would never play tennis again.”
Determined to play the 2009 season, she learned to play with her left hand, a frustrating experience at times. “Sometimes I just wanted to take the racquet with my right hand because I was unable to do the same things and play in the same way with my left hand,” Kimmel said. She credits her family, friends, coach and teammates with helping her maintain a positive outlook.
Her attitude paid off: Kimmel played the entire 2009 season as the team’s No. 1 singles player.
“Stephanie has an unbelievable can-do attitude,” said Coach Jay Barston. “She also possesses a quiet determination about her and deeply believes in herself and her abilities.”
At the No.1 position, she went 4-2 losing only to the conference’s rookie of the year and tournament MVP Mount Saint Mary’s Gabriella Murphy-Goldberg and to Bard’s first team All-Conference member Sofia Commito. Kimmel also played in one No.3 match, winning that and ending the first half of the season with a 5-2 singles record. In recognition of her success on the court, she was named to the Skyline’s All-Conference second team for women’s tennis in November.
“I have learned to value my athletic ability, which has enabled me to relearn the skill that I once took for granted and did with relative ease,” the Stern senior said. “I am so appreciative that this year I was able to continue playing on my team, where each girl has a mutual respect not only for each other, but for everyone around them. They, along with the entire athletic program, have shaped my college experience into what it is today.”
The spring half of the season is set to begin on March 14, in which there will be eight more matches.
Expectations were high for Stephanie Kimmel in 2008. The Stern College for Women student-athlete had been voted to the first-team All-Skyline Conference women’s tennis team in 2007, an honor based on votes of the head women’s tennis coaches within the conference. But a scary moment came during 2008’s pre-season training camp when Kimmel injured her right brachial plexus—a cluster of nerves that sends signals from the spinal cord and controls movement and sensation in the arm, hand and shoulder—leaving her sidelined for most of the year, unable to hold her racket and swing with her dominant right arm.
“At first, I didn’t really know what to think,” Kimmel said. “There were definitely many points where I thought that I would never play tennis again.”
Determined to play the 2009 season, she learned to play with her left hand, a frustrating experience at times. “Sometimes I just wanted to take the racquet with my right hand because I was unable to do the same things and play in the same way with my left hand,” Kimmel said. She credits her family, friends, coach and teammates with helping her maintain a positive outlook.
Her attitude paid off: Kimmel played the entire 2009 season as the team’s No. 1 singles player.
“Stephanie has an unbelievable can-do attitude,” said Coach Jay Barston. “She also possesses a quiet determination about her and deeply believes in herself and her abilities.”
At the No.1 position, she went 4-2 losing only to the conference’s rookie of the year and tournament MVP Mount Saint Mary’s Gabriella Murphy-Goldberg and to Bard’s first team All-Conference member Sofia Commito. Kimmel also played in one No.3 match, winning that and ending the first half of the season with a 5-2 singles record. In recognition of her success on the court, she was named to the Skyline’s All-Conference second team for women’s tennis in November.
“I have learned to value my athletic ability, which has enabled me to relearn the skill that I once took for granted and did with relative ease,” the Stern senior said. “I am so appreciative that this year I was able to continue playing on my team, where each girl has a mutual respect not only for each other, but for everyone around them. They, along with the entire athletic program, have shaped my college experience into what it is today.”
The spring half of the season is set to begin on March 14, in which there will be eight more matches.
