Athlete of the Week

Biffy Kaufman, SY '03, has a work hard/play harder ethic in life. Known as one of Yale tennis's biggest stars, Kaufman beat Princeton in both No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles with partner Andrea Goldberg, TD '02, last weekend. Her victories were instrumental in the Bulldogs' 4-3 upset of the Tigers, last year's Ivy League champions. With this win under her belt, Kaufman believes "anything can happen" for Yale tennis this season. Kaufman takes tennis seriously and plans to spend the summer playing in Hawaii and Costa Rica. However, off the court Kaufman is a different person. "When I step on the tennis courts, I'm all business," she explained. "But beyond that, I never take anything seriously."

REBECCA ROSENTHAL/YH Biffy Kaufman, SY '03 Women's tennis Hometown: San Diego, Calif. Major: Undecided Favorite color: Light blue Favorite sport to watch: Surfing Favorite fruit: Pineapple Sports idol: Gidget Siblings: Three brothers: "Boys are more fun." Pets: "A dog, but I don't like it."

A typical day for Kaufman begins with watching a few moments of one of her favorite surfing videos. "They're the only movies I own," this beach babe explained. After the beach puts a smile on her face, Kaufman heads off for class alongside best friend Susan Cooke, BK '03. "I wouldn't enjoy Yale half as much without Biffy. She's the most fun, crazy, hysterical person I've ever met," Cooke said. Kaufman currently takes a wide range of classes, as she has had difficulty choosing a major. "It will either be biochemistry, astrophysics, or American studies," she said. Outside of class and tennis, Kaufman pursues other activities, such as web-hacking. This might explain why Kaufman's profile on the Yale Athletics website recently included "Thong Booty Shakedown Contest Champion" among her accomplishments. "Suddenly, I was getting fan e-mail from across the country!" she claimed.

Aside from tennis, Kaufman is eager to begin training for yet another sport once the warm weather arrives. Kaufman and Cooke recently received a mysterious package so large that the UPS man could barely get it through the Swing Space gate. When opened, the two realized that their greatest dream had come true: a tandem bike had finally arrived. "We hope to start training soon for the Tour de France," Kaufman added. Sadly, a few technical difficulties have hindered their progress, such as a shortage of tools for assembly and not quite enough air in their lungs to blow up the tires. However, they do have the items most instrumental to their success: matching Budweiser bikinis.

As for the future, Kaufman aspires to be a weathergirl, but, if this fails, she'll settle for becoming a lifeguard or a trophy wife. Kaufman also plans to continue playing tennis, a sport which first caught her interest at the age of five. She enjoys the sport for the challenge and for bringing out her occasional serious side. However, she admitted, "I'm also in it for the tan." Weather permitting, Kaufman can work on her tan and help Yale women's tennis challenge Ivy rival Columbia as the Bulldogs host theColumbia Lions on Fri., Apr. 13.

—By Melissa Blakeley

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