No matter what the sport is, no matter what method is used, a captain will be there for his team.
However, for three days a week, the Penn State men's tennis team must be without one of its senior co-captains for a good part of the days' practices.
Mark Barry, the team's top player, has a class conflicting with the Nittany Lions practice schedule. His Economics 390 (Statistical Foundations for Econometrics) class is held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3:35 to 4:25 p.m., cutting into the team's practice schedule. The Lions practice from 2:30 until 5 p.m. in the Penn State Men's Tennis Center and Barry's conflict causes the senior co-captain to miss about an hour-and-a-half of practice during those days.
Because the course is only offered at that time and is a requirement for Barry's economics major, there really is no way around it. For a senior, in his final spring semester, the fact is that Barry cannot miss out on this class.
"It's a good and a bad situation," head coach Bill Potoczny said. "One thing that's bad is taking a captain out of practice. But a positive is, these guys see, 'Hey, here's a guy who's willing to get the work in any way he can,' and he does it all with a positive attitude."
Barry, the Lions' No. 1 singles player and a staple for the No. 1 doubles team, has been getting some extra work with the help of the coaching staff and some of his teammates.
On Wednesdays, Barry comes in about 90 minutes early and hits with freshman Adam Slagter -- junior Ryan Berger takes those duties on Fridays. On Mondays, Barry will come in 30 minutes early to work with assistant coach Dan Holman. After Tuesday morning practices, Barry stays 45 minutes late with sophomore Michael James.
"It's great that they're willing to help a teammate that needs it," Barry said. "To work around my schedule, that shows the camaraderie on the team."
Barry also said that his actions show his younger teammates, of which there are six freshmen and sophomores, time management and that teammates will always be there to help each other out.
Even with the difficulties that come with missing practice time with the team, Barry has stayed on top. Last Saturday, the Lions opened their season with Barry playing at the No. 1 singles slot in both matches, and he was more than ready. Barry won both his matches in straight sets, beating St. Bonaventure's Alejandro Nery, 6-1, 6-1, and Bloomsburg's Dan Gal, 6-2, 6-0.
"It's just getting back into the swing of things, and getting back to match play and just getting experience," Barry said after Saturday's matches. "I'm playing pretty well right now and not giving my opponents anything."
Barry will be looking to return to, and build on, his fall season's form, when he competed in two national tournaments against the nation's best players. The senior can also likely return to the NCAA Singles Championships which he reached last spring.
Even with all his success on the court, Barry's situation can teach his team another positive lesson, Potoczny said -- for a collegiate athlete, academics still come first.
Barry has already learned the hard way where academics stand in relation to sports in college. During his sophomore season, in the spring 2004 semester, Barry was deemed ineligible to play because of a scheduling mishap which left him without enough credits.
"When I came in, I was thinking I would mainly be a tennis player, an athlete," Barry said. "Then, that really changed my view, to see that it is really more about academics."
Barry's experience can now help him turn his conflict into a lesson for his teammates, and that is really what being a captain is all about.
