The crowd of fans at Dartmouth men's squash team's last home match was large, despite an early start time and the fact that squash is not traditionally a spectator sport.
It was not immediatly clear why so many people came out to watch the squash matches at 11 a.m. on the Sunday of Winter Carnival, when most of campus is sleeping off the after-effects of the long weekend. Captain Adam King '08 was impressed by the turnout.
"Feel free to comment on my enormous fan base," he said, laughing.
Though the final home match of the season is generally emotional -- characterized by the red-faced threats of referees and flying sports equipment on nearly every court -- King's match was notably free of drama. As fans shouted indignantly at every questionable call, King kept his focus, playing with barely an indication of anger or disappointment. King maintained his constant, intense level of play, visibly putting effort into each point.
"I'm not too sad," he said after losing his final match in five games. "I would've loved to win it, but I played pretty well. The other guy was just a little too strong for me."
King's career at Dartmouth shas been marked by his wholehearted commitment to the Big Green men's squash team. King was one of the top players on the Dartmouth squad this season, and has been a tough opponent over the past four years.
"Heart is key," King says. "Every question, the answer is heart. So heart is the top attribute."
King's general enthusiasm and dedication to Dartmouth's squash program has been wholly appreciated by his Big Green teammates.
"Adam King took the role as a father figure to me from day one," Mike Lewis '11 said. "He has taught me a common Canadian term, called 'dilla,' meaning 'give it everything you have.' Adam never gives up, and that's what I will always remember from my time with him. What I've learned from Adam goes way beyond the squash court, and he is a leader in every sense of the word."
Other members of the team also lauded King, citing his sportsmanship and fortitude.
"Since I first met King, he was all about heart on the squash court," Dan Wagman '09 says. "His 'reply-to' on [Blitzmail] was even 'skill wins points, heart wins games.' So I guess the best way to describe him is that Adam King has more heart than Hallmark on Valentine's Day."
Michael Shrubb '10 added, "Adam is to a captain like his sideburns are to an 1980's highschool bully...He's Canada's greatest achievement."
When asked why his team was so effusive in their praise, King just shrugged.
"I think it's because we're such a tight team and I'm the only guy leaving," he said.
But despite his unerring modesty on nearly every other subject, King is truly shameless when it comes to praising his home country.
"Coming from Canada, I'm naturally more athletic than most people," King said, with surprising sincerity. "I mean, just an all-around better person. I'm pretty thankful for it."
King is enthusiastic about the men's squash team, which he describes as, "the greatest team I could ever imagine."
The team, in turn, is exuberant about their captain, who they lovingly call "Banger."
"It's just because I hit the ball hard," King explained. "It's not very exciting. Although when my parents come down and they hear everyone going 'Go Banger!' I mean, what's my mom thinking?"
The team attributes much of this season's success to King's leadership.
"We have, without a doubt, the closest team in the country," Lewis said. "Adam is a big reason why."
"King was the MVP of our team this year, pushing himself to the limit and fighting more than anyone else on our team," Wagman added. "He pretty much embodied the fighting spirit and inspired us to win."
In response, King stated the unofficial team motto, "Skill wins points, hearts wins games," a saying that he brought to Dartmouth from Canada.
"It's pretty much the motto I live my life by," he said. "I can't take credit for coming up with it, but it's my thing. Live your life by that quote and everything will be fine."
He warned, however, of some pitfalls of this theory.
"There are no games in class. Heart doesn't pass tests, heart wins games," he said.
So what is it that drew such a large crowd to the Berry Squash Center at a time when most Dartmouth students were out of commission? Maybe all they really wanted to see was a little bit of heart.
