Alumni Corner: Bruce Sylva (1985-89)

Photo features the 1985-86 men's tennis team with Bruce Sylva on the far right

Portland men's tennis head coach Aaron Gross will be reaching out to alumni of the program with a running question-and-answer feature for PortlandPilots.com throughout the summer. Coach Gross recently caught up with Bruce Sylva (1985-89), who graduated from Portland with a business degree in marketing and management.
 
"Bruce is a pillar of the tennis community in Portland and also a pillar of the University of Portland tennis community," Gross said. "He has been incredibly supportive of the program. He is genuinely one of the nicest, kindest people I have ever met. Truly someone that you would want in your family and we are lucky he is part of our UP Tennis family. The quote from his teammate, John Killelea, is so well spoken. The attitude the Bruce brought to the court when playing at UP is the exact same attitude we strive for with every single one of our players. Coaches use the catch phrase 'culture' a lot when describing their programs. People like Bruce, John Killelea, Mike Dowse, Tim Carr, Mike Malin, Toby Krauel, and on and on continued laying that foundation set by the groups before them and have been carried forward by Charlie Yemm, Geoff Hernandez, Daniel Coelho and so on. I am wishing I hadn't started adding names because I don't want anyone to forget their importance to the program, but all are huge pillars in the foundation of what we feel is a program continuing to nudge forward. We may have had and will continue to have some 'up' years and some 'down' years, but the goal each season is to continue to move the program forward and to add to the numbers of players with the character of a Bruce Sylva. He truly is what we hope it means to be a Pilot."

"Bruce brought to college tennis what was really lacking at the time, a sense of class and high ethical standards," former teammate John Killelea said. "When most of our opponents were trying to play mental games, showing off their egos and being a bit bias on close line calls (to say it nicely) Bruce just went about his business. Nothing fazed this kid on the court. The more opponents tried to rattle him, the more frustrated they got in return. It was fun to watch. That mental toughness, coupled with one of the best one handed backhand return of serves on the team, Bruce racked up his fair share of wins... in style."
 

What would you like people to know about your family at this point in your life?

I met my wife Maria (Harris) at UP and have been married for over 17 years.  We have three kids: daughter Halle (16), and sons Sandon (12) and Kekoa (10). We live in Portland and I'm on a 4.5 team along with Mike Malin and Toby Krauel at West Hills Racquet Club. It is cool seeing my daughter playing high school tennis and sporting the purple pride at Sunset High School.


What is your current occupation?

I'm a Senior Sales Manager for CollegeNET, Inc.


What is your fondest tennis memory at UP?

There are so many great memories, but it's always the heated dual matches that come to mind. We were playing Cal State L.A and the match started with doubles first and I played with Mike Dowse. It was no-ad scoring at the time with no roving umpires. We're tied at 4-4 in third set, serving at deuce. I'm at the net and Dowse hits a crosscourt shot and the ball lands inside the line (from my angle at the net it was definitely inside J) but they call it out. I call the guy a donkey, but did not use the word donkey, and it just erupts from there. It was like a baseball game dugout clearing with everyone stopping their matches and coming over to support. We lost the doubles match and not sure if we won the team match, but I remember how strong of a team bond we had. That bond still remains today. Mike and Jennifer Dowse are Godparents to our youngest son. Mike Malin was in our wedding. Kevin Jones still tunes us up, now it's on the golf course instead of on the court. John Killelea introduced me to CollegeNET. 
 
 
What is your fondest memory about UP in general?

I loved that there was only one main gathering place for meals – the commons. There were so many life-long friendships developed and stories shared. The commons was always entertaining and buzzing with excitement. The meals were great, especially Hungarian Noodle Bake and Turkey Tetrazzini. 
 
 
What do you miss most about your college tennis experience?


I definitely don't miss morning workouts and running Germantown road like some of the others. However, I really miss that every spring break we'd spend an entire week somewhere sunny and nice with teammates at hotels with good food.
    
 
If you could give advice to an 18-year-old entering the University of Portland as a tennis player now, what would it be?
 
It's an honor and a privilege to be on the University of Portland tennis team. You have a gift, so cherish each and every moment from school to practice to competition. Be proud that you are a Pilot.


Are there aspects of your professional life that your experiences as a Division I athlete differentiate you? Maybe give you an advantage over someone who didn't compete at that level as an athlete?
 
I do embrace competition whether on the court or off the court. I'm not sure if this is an advantage over someone who didn't compete as a D-I athlete, but preparation and visualizing yourself performing at a high level was in each of us who was on the team. There is a hidden intensity of trying to be the best at given moments. There is serious reflection on how to do it better and then working on those opportunities for the next go around. 


Do you have a story that you can share that you and your ex-teammates still talk about and laugh when you get together?
 
I had a great time playing for John LaPlante and he definitely put up with a lot from us. There were matches where we were in full control of winning a team match and those of us who were done with their own match would sit on the bench next to coach LaPlante to support our teammates. While sitting next to coach, one of us would take an empty tennis can filled with water and place it next to his feet so when he got up to walk he would knock over the water can on the court. We would get a good laugh and it must've happened a hundred times over the years.


Any final thoughts?

It's an honor to be part of the Alumni Corner and I appreciate bridging our generation with others. It is exciting to watch the Pilots compete, especially with the video streaming technology. Aaron is doing an amazing job and deserves congratulations for his WCC Coach of the Year award. I'm looking forward to the next tennis alumni reunion!
 
I would also like to say "aloha" to all of my teammates from 1985-89 and especially to remember a great teammate and friend, Ned Hastings.