A year ago, a coach asked me, “What do you play tennis for?”
On Feb. 22, Jack Hughes scored the overtime goal, and the U.S. men’s ice hockey team won gold at the Milan Winter Olympics. Sticks flew into the air and gloves scattered across the ice as his teammates piled atop him in a whirlwind of joy, disbelief and triumph.
It was a moment to be etched into the history books forever. Just days earlier, his brother, Quinn Hughes, delivered an overtime goal of his own to keep the Americans’ dream alive against Sweden.
Interviewed afterward, Jack Hughes didn’t talk much about himself.
“This is all about our country,” he said. “I love the USA. I love my teammates. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong. … I’m so proud to be American today.”
Brotherhood. Country. Teammates.
In Gainesville, roughly 5,000 miles from Milan, my teammates and I watched Hughes and the Americans make history. We listened to the national anthem play as they raised the American flag, and the team soaked in the glory of what they just accomplished. Ironically, just a few hours later, we took to the court and listened to the national anthem for the second time that day, played before our match.
On a Florida afternoon Feb. 22 at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, orange and blue fans packed the stands for our women’s tennis dual matchup.
Different stages. Same song. Same motivation.
Because when a college tennis dual match comes down to 3-3, every point feels like there might as well be a gold medal on the line. Every groundstroke echoes louder. Every overhead hangs in the air longer, and every second serve gets more tense.
At a certain point, it stops being about forehands and backhands. Instead, it becomes about who you’re playing for.
It had been 46 years since the Americans won gold in men’s hockey at the Olympics. In the film “Miracle,” coach Herb Brooks asked his players a question that had nothing to do with body checks and everything to do with the letters stitched across their chests: “Who do you play for?”
The U.S. hockey team bleeds red, white and blue.
Florida Gators bleed orange and blue.
So who do I play for? What pushes me to dig deep in the third set, when I’m down 2-5 and my legs are cramping up? What gets me through the last interval on the AssaultBike?
I play for my teammates — my seven sisters who compete their hearts out alongside me — who show up every day, leave it all on the court and won’t ever back down.
I play for my coaches, who believe in me even in moments when I don’t always believe in myself, and who push me to be the best player I can be. For my trainers who tirelessly tape my ankles every day, and who take me through rehab sessions to get me back stronger from injury.
For the fans who cheer “Go Indi!” from the bleachers despite the score.
I play for my family in California and for my new family in The Swamp.
I play for the Florida Gators. And there’s no one else I’d rather play for.
Contact India Houghton at ihoughton@alligator.org. Follow her on X @indiahoughton16.
India Houghton is a graduate student studying Business Management and a member of the UF women’s tennis team. She is the sports opinion columnist for The Alligator. A Northern California native, India completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University in Science, Technology and Society, competing for the Cardinal women’s tennis team. She enjoys playing the piano, taking ice baths, and rooting for her hometown 49ers.
