Anatomy of an Athlete

Outer Calm, Inner Drive

Kevin Ye, who just completed his third season on Kenyon's nationally ranked tennis team, is an outstanding athlete who can be described as quick, confident, competitive . . . and lazy.

“I guess that's partly true,” Ye admits. “I mean, if I can get away with putting something off, then chances are I will. But that doesn't hold true when it comes to things that are important to me.”

Like tennis. At times during the season, Ye may spend five to six hours a day practicing, running, and/or lifting. “I understand that's what I am here for, to improve as a person, as a student, and as an athlete. I can't take those things lightly.”

He does seem strikingly relaxed—so calm as to appear almost uninterested. On the court, he knows how to use this outward tranquility to his advantage. It protects him from the commotion of competition, while masking an inner focus and determination.

It's a curious mix: he's aggressive and a slouch, diligent and unhurried; he owns over fifty career collegiate tennis victories, yet loathes traveling campus on foot. Never mind the apparent contradictions. They seem to work just fine for Ye. —Marty Fuller