Rackets swinging, sun blaring, and the smell of freshly opened tennis balls welcomes the next generation of the varsity and JV tennis team. As the past seniors head out, the future of the program relies on the younger and newer players to sculpt the team.
To succeed in the district, Coach Redwine prepares the tennis team for their first rival game against Mansfield, Sept. 10 at Legacy.
“All the upperclassmen taking the younger class under their wing, the team dinners, everything this year has probably been better than it’s been in the last seven, eight years,” Head Coach Chad Redwine said.
Redwine believes the relationships between the under and upperclassmen spell success for the upcoming season. Losing plenty of seniors, Coach Redwine relies on the freshmen to step up.
“[Upcoming players] all work hard,” Coach Redwine said. “They’re all doing what they need to do to get better, so the future looks good.”
Because of the strict heat policies not allowing the players to endure plenty of the preseason training, many athletes have been persevering and striving to make the most of the training they’re getting.
“If the district let us practice, then we’d be a lot better,” senior Austin Galley said. “It’s pretty hot, but we do our best when we can,”
Throughout all obstacles the team faced, the main goal remained the same. Winning, even if it’s one game, district, beating rivals or even state.
“Our main goal is to win, win the district, and beat Mansfield, ” Galley said.
Many athletes continued to prepare and work to perform at their highest level for the regular season. Training and preparing to beat the odds and push past expectations are the key for success in the upcoming season.
“We’ve been training hard all summer, and we’re ready for the challenges of the upcoming season,” junior Anay Bhakta said.
As Coach Redwine implemented, when everyone puts in as much attitude and effort as they can. There will be success. All hard work and dedication performed by the players will be displayed by the players as a team in the regular season.
“We’re not as concerned about just individual wins,” Coach Redwine said. “If one player can win, but everyone else loses, as a team we fail. In the fall it’s a team sport.”
