Photo by Sarah Tucci
All good things come to an end. Everyone knows that. So it is no surprise that this year is ending and with it, sports are ending too. The spring sports included soccer, baseball, softball and track. However, sports such as tennis are usually forgotten. The co-ed tennis team went 6-6 this season and inspired goals for players.
“A goal of mine this season was to work my way up onto varsity to be able to play as a starter. Eventually, I got to play as a starter about halfway through this season. Mainly I just wanted to improve and continue to get better for next season,” Alexis Wrate said.
Similarly, boy players strive to play as starters.
“My goals for this season were playing on the top seven. Only the top seven boys play in an actual match. Being able to play on the top seven for the first five games was an awesome feeling. Whether I won or lost, it was a great feeling to be important,” starter Douglas Hughey said.
However, Wrate was not new to the sport of tennis because she played before high school.
“The first time I played tennis was when I was in fifth grade, I think. I played for a few months then quit because I didn’t like the place I took lessons at. Then, when I got to high school, I decided to try out for the team because I like the sport a lot and wanted to start playing again,” Wrate said.
Her main motivation to play tennis was for fun and this season was exactly that.
“I did enjoy this season because I got to do a lot of new things and I think that I continue to improve all the time. I got to be on varsity this year and I’ve learned a lot the past two seasons. Also, playing with my friends only makes it even better,” Wrate said.
One of her friends was Christina Sadoma, who thought the highlights were all about friendship.
“Bonding with my friends and the team everyday was definitely the best part of the season,” Sadoma said.
Wrate’s highlights were also about her experiences with teammates.
“I think the away matches were fun because everyone hangs out on the buses and we got to stop at In ‘N Out as a team a few times. Also, the last day was pretty fun when we all just hung out with food and games instead of a banquet,” Wrate said.
Although this season was fun for players, the tennis team will be split in two next year. The girls’ team will play in the fall and the boys’ team will compete in the spring. The reason for the split is that WHS is switching leagues next year. The league the school is currently in has tennis in the spring for both girls and boys. However, next year’s league is divided, which means there will be a major change for the tennis team.
“I think it is good and bad. It is good because there will be less people, so we will all get more court time to practice and improve and get one-on-one help from the coach. However, we always have fun together as a team so it will be different without the guys there,” Wrate said.
Sadoma also sees the benefits to next season’s change.
“I am a little sad about not having a co-ed team, but i think the girls will get more individual attention and we will bond a lot more too as a team,” Sadoma said.
However, Hughey feels that the team’s split is more negative than positive.
“Really…I don’t like it. Yeah, it means that I can finally play, but so can like 15 other guys. Before, it was a good feeling to be on the top and have your name called out when they listed the matches. Also, I have a lot of friends who are girls, so playing in different seasons really isn’t a positive for me,” Hughey said.
Even further than just splitting the team, the girls will have a different coach next year, Coach Bosco. Despite the major change for next year, Wrate still has high hopes for next season.
“I think next year’s season is going to be really fun. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to have the same coach as the past two years, but I think Coach Bosco will make it really enjoyable for us all,” Wrate said.
Although the two ladies are definitely continuing with tennis next year, Hughey might not.
“Tennis was really the only sport I enjoyed playing, and my dad played it in high school as well. But I won’t be playing next year. This year I really struggled with grades when tennis rolled around. So I have made the decision to not play it next year. This might change depending on how I do next year academically,” Hughey said.
BY SARAH TUCCI
