Michael Pereira
Background:
Michael "Jerz" Pereira played on the UNCW men's tennis team from 2007-10 and ranks fourth all-time in singles and fifth in doubles play. He became the first player in UNCW history earn All-CAA honors all four years and helped the Seahawks win two CAA Championships and advance to the NCAA Tournament two times. He also earned a national doubles ranking during his outstanding career with the Seahawks.
Testimonial:
"I graduated from UNCW in 2011 and decided to turn professional in tennis. I spent the summer travelling throughout Argentina and Peru playing on the tour in Futures tournaments. I then moved on to pursue a career in coaching junior tennis. I am currently the Youth Professional at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, South Carolina. My responsibilities as the Youth Professional are to run and grow the 10-under program, as well as help run tournaments, and run the Cardio tennis program.
"I have the privilege of working with two junior coaches who have been coaching longer than I have been alive and have done a great job taking on the responsibility of teaching me the necessary skills to develop junior and adult programs. Since being here I have already doubled the attendance in our clinics and all groundwork has been laid for the program to really take off in the spring. I'm excited about the future as we continue to move forward here.
"It's difficult to explain how my experiences playing tennis at UNCW have influenced who I am as a person now. The more I think about it, the less I feel that any one day or one practice really changed anything. It was as though the days were all connected in a way, so I would learn things that I would otherwise never have learned. Of course, there were days that I distinctly remember more than others. One day Coach called my opponent a "tulip" and challenged my toughness. It fired me up so much that my opponent didn't have a snowballs chance of winning. Another day, Illia Ziamtsou and I took our grumpiness to borderline insanity level and had to run 12 dirty dozens in under 42 seconds as a result.
"I especially remember the day we won our first CAA championship, and the battles we had in taking VCU down for the first time. But those days, in particular do not influence who I am today. I think that the days at UNCW that changed me were the "average days." During the "average days" I learned what it meant to be truly committed to a common goal and a team. What it meant to show up every day and the discipline it takes to be successful. The average practice would start off with a "focus," a skill that I wanted to improve on that day or had been working on the entire week. I was usually pretty good at keeping my focus narrow until about the 1hour 11 minute and 42 second mark. The good news is, at that time we were usually on the verge of transitioning into the competing phase of our practice anyway.
"I'm a naturally competitive person. The competing phase of our practice is where I learned how my adrenaline levels were either directly or inversely proportional to my overall mood. If things were going well, I felt great and played better. If things were going bad and I didn't know how to fix the problem, well...I won't comment. The good news is I got much better at controlling it. We usually ended practice with some sort of track, agility, or sprint workout. This is where I learned how much I hate running and how my body fortunately requires extra workouts to maintain an athletic base similar to my teammates. I learned that sometimes you have to just put your head down and outwork your opponents.
My teammates were the other thing consistent about my practices. What I learned from them is not so much patience and tolerance, but an understanding of differences. I was so lucky to meet such unique individuals. And just to throw this in there if any of them are reading this, it's YOUR fault if I need to be on medication when I'm 50.
When I look back on my college days and think about how tennis at UNCW has impacted how I live my life today, I remember the normal practices. I believe that my job is easier because of the day to day training. I learned who I am and what my body needs to perform at a high level. I learned my natural tendencies, and how to apply myself to accomplish what I want when I'm feeling good or bad. I have been trained to be able to focus for longer periods of time. I know how to control my emotions. I know how to relate with people who are very different than I am. I know how to cooperate with others better. It is safe to say, I would not be as successful if it wasn't for the training I had at UNCW. Being a member of the team there has given me experiences and life lessons that I will take with me the rest of my life. And my back is straight!
Go Seahawks!
Coach DuBois on Michael Pereira:
Michael was one of the most passionate and determined players that I have ever met. He was very open about how he had not received a lot of attention during the recruiting process before college and he played like he was on a mission every day to show every college coach what a huge mistake they had made. He played his entire career in our top two positions in singles, which is completely unheard of.
One of my favorite memories occured at the beginning of his senior year when he shared to the younger players on the team that "this team was what he was all about and the center of his life." He set the bar for commitment to the team and left a legacy that day to the younger players. I truly enjoyed watching him grow up during his time here and he was a major part of the success that we were able to enjoy during his four years. I will remember our office talks just as much as winning championships.
I am very proud that he has decided to pursue a career in coaching and know his passion will be contagious to the players around him. He showed that he is willing to work hard for his goals and I know he will be hugely successful."
