aggiedrjdub said:

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Hey @elonmusk can you build Texas A&M an indoor tennis facility? The Tesla Tennis center rolls nicely off the tongue

— Carson Branstine (@carsonbranstine) February 4, 2023

tell 'em Carson!!

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Shes on the right track! I doubt it's going to be that weirdo, but there's an Aggie out there that can make this happen.

I liked the lineup! Daria, while played a close match, still earned the win. She's the future of Aggie tennis, so I'm ok with freshmen mistakes. Overall, I like it! Mia at #4 I'm a fan of. She's only going to get better

Honestly, if Carson plays like she did yesterday, I'm ok with her being 1. We need her confident. Mary is a team player. She's still capable of earning all American status at #2.

The team I'm not set on is Salma and Jayci at #2 doubles. Salma is new to the team so it's going to take some time to find a rhythm. You can see the timidness and hesitation when they play.

Ha, yes. Everyone has an opinion, both good and bad. I said I was ok with it, doesn't necessarily mean it's my first choice. Mary is the heart and soul of this team, but so was Tati. Tati bit the bullet and did what was needed to win. She goes down as one of the best all time. Mary is doing the same.

This is a good problem to have, who is the better #1. We're ****ing loaded. We all know Carson is extremely talented, just her mental game struggles. She's capable of beating anyone, just like Mary is.

I know that coach will do whatever he thinks is best for the team in order to go and win a national title next week.

Agreed. What were your thoughts on the lineup?

Carson doing the work our AD refuses to do

Bad look for Carson or Bjork? I support Carson fighting for indoor courts, especially after the embarrassment of traveling last weekend. They deserve new facilities over anyone else on campus

I disagree. I applaud her for holding their toes to the fire. She did it professionally and pointed out the deficiencies. Good for her.

Totally agree he won't be shamed into doing it.

That said, I hope it's reflective of internal conversations to at least get the ball rolling. Also, hope those talks are a wake-up call that lackluster facilities have long-term potential to detract blue-chip recruits for two A&M programs.

Helps that isn't just a disgruntled player on an underperforming team.

I mean, not necessarily. Mountains can be moved via social media. You don't know who or how far the platform/message reaches. All it takes is the right person and donation to go from a dream to reality. Not really sure it matters if it's a bad look or not. What's the worst that's going to happen, they are told no?

A&M women's tennis deserves indoor courts and an uplift! They are the most over performing sport on campus given the resources.

Bending the knee? That's ridiculous. She's not threatening him. She's basically saying "hey, we are at a disadvantage with our facilities. Let's see some action. Can we get an update?" I don't think it's a good look to tell a female to be quiet and just play tennis. All she's asking for is some response. Bottom line, this will ultimately affect recruiting. I applaud her. This would never happen to most other athletic programs at A&M.

What exactly is going to happen? They will continue to not have a facility? Lol

Yes. Exactly. There have been donors that have donated directly to the new tennis facility. Those monies were diverted to other projects. That's not right. I mean, Ross can simply say "hey we hear you and we are working on it. We know you deserve the best."

JPN06 said:

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Bad look for Bjork and for Weaver.

It makes Bjork look bad, of course. But like I said he's not going to be shamed by a player into building courts. It ends up being a bad look for Weaver too. This should be a private conversation that should be had between Weaver and Bjork. But a player is making Bjork look bad publicly and there it's on the coach to say hey Carson I love where your heart is at but we need to be smarter about the way we handle this. Instead of embarrassing my boss, lets figure out who we know that has the money to pay for this.

It's not about whether you "support" Carson. Of course, we all do. It's about there's a right way and a wrong way to do things and embarrassing your boss who is also the guy making the call on this facility is never the right way to do things.

Carson's cousin Freddie Freeman just signed a $162 Million dollar contract with the Dodgers. That's a good place to start.

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I can GUARANTEE you that this conversation has been had many times in private between Joffe/Weaver/Cass/Kleinecke/Denton and has been told it would be funded a few times, but still nothing.

Aggiedrjdub is correct, there has been funds donated towards indoor courts that were moved to other projects. I know the coaches have had discussions about getting donors for indoors, and told not to even bother. The Athletic Department's solution is to let City of Bryan build an indoor pickleball facility near the old Bryan Muni golf course and put tennis lines on it. That is the honest truth. A&M Athletics doesn't want to spend the money or get it donated and earmarked for tennis.

I appreciate your response. Yet I struggle to see this, because everything I said in my tweets were coming from a good place. This has been an ongoing project for many years. Beyond Ross Bjork and my coach, Mark Weaver. As we all know, there is probably not one school in the country that puts their priorities on tennis. Yet as a tennis player, I understand the time and effort it takes to play at my level. It requires more than most people realize. I plan on making a career out of this game, but until then, my job is to be the best athlete, student, and advocate for my team.. for Texas A&M.

Head Coach Mark Weaver, and Associate Head Coach Jordan Szabo, have arguably been the greatest blessing I have ever had. They fight for the team, have our best interest in mind, and are roll models for every player who has the opportunity to play here. As many people know, I transferred into Texas A&M. Mark believed in me despite many factors... I was injured for nearly three years, 3 surgeries… he took the risk to welcome me into this family. And now, because of his positivity and belief, I became an All American in my first season, and got to lead the team into two SEC titles. (and more to come)

Never in a million years would I try and make our AD "look bad". He's a busy man, and has come out to our matches to support us countless times. The point of this, along with the large, incredibly supportive Aggie following I have on my twitter, is to help fight for a necessity. I have absolutely no shame as a female student athlete, to demonstrate how much I care about this school, share how special it is to be a Aggie, and to help the school in any way that I can. From my perspective, that's what it's all about. I think I deserve praise rather than negativity to be brave enough to do so. I intend on getting this thing built to honor our success, our future success, and my incredible coach.


As for my cousin, it is a bit frivolous to think that he would be the single person to help with this matter. I prefer Aggies to help Aggies, and for myself to have an individual influence on all of this. Freddie has helped countless people, including my immediate family who at one point, lost everything. My cousin is arguably one of the most respectable athletes in the world. Thus, has many other projects such as the Salvation Army etc. that he focuses on. He earned that contract, and is allowed to do what he wants with it.

I'm still a little lost on how this is interpreted as unprofessional and wrong. Carson is fighting for a better future for A&M tennis.

It kind of is an argument if you support Carson or not. We teach our athletes to use their voice. In the days of NIL, Carson is doing what she knows can make an impact(in a professional manner).

I support Carson fully in this. Why can't she make a plea for indoor courts for the program? It hasn't gone anywhere yet, why not try social media. Maybe the athletic dept will get the message and do something.

Amen. Gig'em!

It's great to hear an athlete speak so highly of her coach. Makes me so happy for Mark and team!

We can support Carson all we want here, but it takes that plus $xx to make it happen.

What is the number that needs to be raised to build it?

Gap said:

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We can support Carson all we want here, but it takes that plus $xx to make it happen.

What is the number that needs to be raised to build it?

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That's what I'd like to know. What is the design? The plan? The needed budget?

Carson is a queen <3

carsonbranstine said:

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I appreciate your response. Yet I struggle to see this, because everything I said in my tweets were coming from a good place. This has been an ongoing project for many years. Beyond Ross Bjork and my coach, Mark Weaver. As we all know, there is probably not one school in the country that puts their priorities on tennis. Yet as a tennis player, I understand the time and effort it takes to play at my level. It requires more than most people realize. I plan on making a career out of this game, but until then, my job is to be the best athlete, student, and advocate for my team.. for Texas A&M.

Head Coach Mark Weaver, and Associate Head Coach Jordan Szabo, have arguably been the greatest blessing I have ever had. They fight for the team, have our best interest in mind, and are roll models for every player who has the opportunity to play here. As many people know, I transferred into Texas A&M. Mark believed in me despite many factors... I was injured for nearly three years, 3 surgeries… he took the risk to welcome me into this family. And now, because of his positivity and belief, I became an All American in my first season, and got to lead the team into two SEC titles. (and more to come)

Never in a million years would I try and make our AD "look bad". He's a busy man, and has come out to our matches to support us countless times. The point of this, along with the large, incredibly supportive Aggie following I have on my twitter, is to help fight for a necessity. I have absolutely no shame as a female student athlete, to demonstrate how much I care about this school, share how special it is to be a Aggie, and to help the school in any way that I can. From my perspective, that's what it's all about. I think I deserve praise rather than negativity to be brave enough to do so. I intend on getting this thing built to honor our success, our future success, and my incredible coach.


As for my cousin, it is a bit frivolous to think that he would be the single person to help with this matter. I prefer Aggies to help Aggies, and for myself to have an individual influence on all of this. Freddie has helped countless people, including my immediate family who at one point, lost everything. My cousin is arguably one of the most respectable athletes in the world. Thus, has many other projects such as the Salvation Army etc. that he focuses on. He earned that contract, and is allowed to do what he wants with it.

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Thank you for your leadership, Carson.

My daughter is still young but plays competitively and follows every A&M match. You and your teammates inspire many and have earned world class facilities like we should have in every sport.