New England

Levine and Page Win December Captains of the Month

James Maimonis, Manager, Media & Communications | January 12, 2024

WESTBOROUGH, MA - Congratulations to Kristin Levine and David Page on being named USTA League December Captains of the Month. Kristin is from Raynham, MA and has been captaining for seven years, including leading her 3.5 Women’s 40 & Over team out of Lakeville Athletic Club. Dave is from Nashua, NH, and has been captaining his 4.0 Men’s 18 & Over and 40 & Over teams out of Algonquin Indoor Tennis Center since 2019. He also captained for a few years in the early 2000s.

Both Kristin and Dave have been part of extremely successful teams, including multiple trips to Sectionals and Nationals.

We asked Kristin and Dave a few questions about their journeys as USTA League captains:

How did you first become interested in captaining, and what do you enjoy most about it?

Kristin

I became a captain when former captains either moved up or could no longer do the task due to family commitments or work schedules. I have the time and I enjoy strategizing with our coach, Alex Howard, and teammates. I do like to hear who they are comfortable playing with and analyzing their success rates together as partners or with other players.

Dave

I played tennis in high school and a little bit in college, and after graduation I wanted to continue with some type of organized play. I started entering USTA NTRP tournaments, and some of the people I met and played against eventually introduced me to team competition. It was a good fit for me right from the start because I'm pretty competitive and I also loved being part of a team again.

Kristin is pictured in the back row, 2nd from the left, with her Lakeville 40 & Over 3.5 team.

When some friends and I got promoted to a higher level of play a few years later, I volunteered to captain so we could stay together as a group, and we ended up reaching Nationals. After taking some time off from League tennis, I started playing with an established team from Algonquin, but after a while, our captain moved away, and I thought the timing was right for me to get back into a leadership role. I'm really glad I did.

As a captain, you're essentially the coach and general manager of your team along with being an active player, and I like the challenge of doing all those things as well as I can. My teams have players coming from all walks of life and representing just about every point on the political spectrum, but we do our best to come together in pursuit of a common goal and that's something I think is really important given the way the world is today.

How would your players describe you as a captain?

Kristin

Hopefully my teammates would describe me as flexible, understanding and reasonable. I would certainly not ask them to do something for the team's sake that I wasn't willing to do as well (switching partners, switching sides you typically don't play, etc.). I also hope they regard me as a friend and enjoy my company as I do with all of them.

Dave Page has been captaining at Algonquin since 2019.

In your opinion, what does it take to be a successful captain?

Dave

I'm sure there are many different formulas for success, and I don't pretend to know them all, but I do think you need some level of organization and an ability to return communication from your teammates and other league stakeholders promptly and thoughtfully. It's also important to have a vision for what your team wants to achieve as a group and to find players who either already have that same vision or can be persuaded to buy in. Finally, I think you need to value all of your team members and try to define roles for each of them where they can contribute. Even at a common NTRP level, there can be wide variations in ability, but in League play, just about everyone has a chance to potentially be a difference maker at one point in the season or another and that can build a very strong team identity.

What do you love most about League tennis or tennis in general? Why is it so special to you?

Why is tennis, and in particular, USTA League, so special to you?

Kristin

I love the camaraderie, competition and always trying to improve! I love our teammates, friendships and supporting each other. Tennis is great for the mind, relieving stress and having fun. It is a big part of my exercise each week and the most enjoyable way for me to burn some calories, be with teammates and compete!

I have been through a lot of health challenges throughout the years and always strive to get back to tennis and continue to captain with the ladies I enjoy being with. It is rewarding watching my teammates learning strategy, improving technique and helping us all to be successful.

Dave

Tennis has given me so many great experiences and wonderful friendships over the years. USTA play has been a big part of that and I'm very grateful

Tournaments
Programs

TOURNAMENTS NEAR YOU

PROGRAMS NEAR YOU

Skip Advertisement

Colburn Wins Scholarship
August 25, 2023

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is gaining something truly special with incoming freshman, Clare Colburn. The recent Lincoln Academy graduate has grown into a natural leader both on the tennis courts and off, and it’s largely thanks to her small community of Damariscotta, ME and those around her throughout her childhood. Read More
July Captains of the Month
August 15, 2023

Congratulations to the July USTA League Captains of the Month, Sam Rubin, of Brookline, MA and Hilary Holm, of Whitefield, ME! Sam Rubin started as a Social Tennis League player, where he’s played in Boston area sites for years. It was there he found out about the opportunity to serve as a captain of the 18-39 league out of Eastern Mass. This past winter, Sam led his team, which competed at Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center in Dorchester, to a first-place finish. Read More
2023 Scholar Athletes
August 08, 2023

The USTA announced that Xander Barber, of Falmouth, Maine, was named the male recipient of the 2023 USTA National Junior Scholar Athlete Award. Barber recently graduated from Falmouth High School after relocating to Maine from Asheville, N.C., ahead of his senior year. His impact on the tennis court was felt immediately as Barber led Falmouth to a state championship and was named the state’s Player of the Year. Read More