Alumni Corner: Quinn Borchard (2000-04)

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 Quinn Borchard (2000-04), who graduated from Portland with a major in history.
 
"Quinn was a player and personality that forced me to evolve as a coach," Gross said. "I think a lot of young coaches coach the way that they enjoy coaching, rather than coaching what your personnel needs. To me, one of the most important qualities of a coach is to be adaptable. Quinn joined our program at a point when I was borderline-not adaptable. I do feel that things like work ethic, attention to detail and respect are non-negotiable. However, recognizing a player's unique 'strengths' as opposed to a traditional view of labeling that player as 'funky' or 'not efficient' is important. I sit and listen to the US Open commentary of John McEnroe and Chris Evert and they seem to be so stuck in what tennis 'should' look like as opposed to what is actually effective and I think to myself how thankful I am for people like Quinn to have come into my life and show me that there isn't just one way to get the job done.

"There was give and take on both Quinn and my sides. I do think that Quinn learned about tennis, work ethic and professionalism from the program. And I learned that when someone loves competing and is as good a competitor as Quinn, sometimes a coach just needs to get out of the way or try to support that player in the way the players needs most. Bottom line is that Quinn is the ultimate 'gamer,' which might be the best compliment you can give a competitor. Quinn was liable to lose a rally game to a professor walking by the tennis center on their lunch hour in practice, but when the lights shined the brightest and the pressure was at its highest, you couldn't count on anyone more than Quinn Borchard. And Quinn won a ton of matches for the University of Portland.

"I am so proud and happy for Quinn that he has found his passion in coaching tennis. He is the only player that we have ever had from Southern California, who started and finished at UP. He is back coaching near where he grew up and works with some very good players. He has been very successful on the open circuit in Southern Cal. Quinn is one of the funniest and smartest players that I have coached here. He added so much to the program in so many different ways." "
 
What was your major in school?
 
History major and English minor, which makes me quite formidable at trivia games.


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

I'll be married for five years this April to my ever increasingly beautiful wife, Lindsey. We have a son by the name of James and he's 15 months old and pretty much the coolest guy ever. We also have two rabbits, Chloe and Pip, who are some of my best buds.


What is your current occupation?

I'm the Head Tennis Professional at Sunset Hills Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif.


What is your fondest tennis memory at UP?

There are many! So tough to pick just one, but I'll have to go with probably winning my last college match I ever played in. A tough three setter against a guy from University of San Francisco. I think I kept that match ball for a long time… it was a great match to end my college career on.
 
  
What is your fondest memory about UP in general?

Believe it or not, probably working at the two jobs I had at school which were at the tennis center and at Howard Hall. I'll always remember that old space heater we had at the Tennis Center that ran so hot it melted the rubber on the soles of my shoes. And at Howard Hall, where anytime there was a basketball game I thought the 2nd floor was going to cave in and crush me!
 
 
What do you miss most about your college tennis experience?

Obviously the team atmosphere! From the van rides to Spokane to the plane trips to So Cal, they are much more fun when you have a bunch of your friends around to be with and root for. I mean where else can I yell and scream words of encouragement to my team and be the object of utter annoyance to our rivals that we played? If I wasn't getting under our opponents' skin, I wasn't rooting hard enough. I'll always remember the time one of the St. Mary's guys called us a bunch of zoo animals!

    
 If you could give advice to an 18-year-old entering the University of Portland as a tennis player now, what would it be?
 
1) The hard work has only just begun, you now have to work twice as hard as you did because this isn't junior tennis.
2) No one cares about how good you were and what your ranking was in junior tennis.
3) Listen to Aaron, the guy knows what he's talking about and he will take you as far as you want to go with your tennis
4) Don't show up late to practice or you WILL be locked out of the Tennis Center!


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?
 
Well as a coach, I draw upon my experiences as a Division I college athlete almost daily with my students. The ability to really tell my students what Division I college tennis is like is a vital aspect in my job. I know the work that needs to be put in to get to that level and how hard you have to fight to get there.


Do you have a story that you can share that you and your ex-teammates still talk about and laugh when you get together?
 
Wow. Honestly, I could fill up this whole Alumni Corner with funny stories about my teammates and me! But I will just stick to two. First, there was the time that I decided to play with a completely different racquet for a dual match than the one I had been playing with the whole year. Needless to say, Aaron was not pleased and I got yanked out of the lineup before we even got to introductions. Second, it was Roman Baranov's first team trip and it's doubtful he ever ran into American sarcasm before. So in my particular Quinn fashion, I said something super sarcastic to Roman who thought I was seriously making fun of him and he proceeded to throw a full banana at my head!


Any final thoughts?

The best part of college for me was my experience playing tennis. I came in as a clueless punk freshman from Southern Cal and I grew up a lot in my four years as a Pilot. I credit Aaron Gross and all my teammates for helping me not only become a better tennis player, but a better person.