Throughout my four years in high school, tennis has by far been the most enjoyable activity to participate in. Tennis has taught me many valuable skills throughout the years and brought me closer to a sport I love. Tennis has brought me closer to people I would never talk to otherwise, and I have gotten to bond with coaches through the Howard County Tennis Center who help me grow as a person and a player.
My freshman year of tennis was definitely a learning experience. I was singles on junior varsity, learning the basics of the sports I have come to love. I got to practice with the varsity singles players, so I got incredible role models. They always helped me when I had questions about aiming the ball, serving, and everything else about the game. Practicing with them made me want to be better as a player so I could actually compete with them. I got to watch them win sectionals as a backup player, and from that point on, I knew I wanted to win a sectional title. After my freshman season, I decided to take tennis classes during winter with former players, Erika Johnson and Emma Geisler.
After practicing and improving all winter, I was able to make one doubles on varsity my sophomore year. I was not sure how I felt about playing doubles because I had been a singles player my previous year. I quickly learned to love doubles and all the challenges that came with it. Sophomore year is when I started playing with my partner, Abbey Hileman. Abbey and I have been playing together for three years now, but when we first started playing, it was not as smooth as it is now. Luckily, Abbey had played doubles the previous year, so she helped me learn strategies and how to communicate with her on the court. We had a great season considering how young we were; we mostly played seniors because it was very uncommon for sophomores to be one doubles. During sectionals, we played the toughest team we had ever played. We lost individually and as a team. Our team was determined to come back the next year and win a sectional title again.
After working hard at HCTC during another winter, I came back on the court with one goal: winning sectionals. We had a solid team my junior year, which helped us eventually win a sectional championship. Junior season was Abbey and I’s favorite season. We both feel very attached to that team and what we accomplished last year. I got to play with some of my absolute best friends last season, which made tennis even more fun for me. We went on to lose to Carmel (the State Champions) during regionals without even winning a game, however, we still had fun because we got to play a great team. After winning a sectional title, I knew I wanted another one.
This winter was my favorite season at HCTC. I got closer to some of my favorite coaches, Tony, Judson, and Pat. I took private lessons with Tony, which helped me with every little skill I feel like I needed to perfect. Judson is my coach for classes, which is always fun because he is a very skilled coach. Finally, Pat works at the front desk while also coaching at Eastern. I also got to take pickleball classes this summer with Judson, which has helped me participate in another sport that resembles aspects of tennis. So far, I have loved my senior season. Abbey and I are undefeated, and we work to improve every single match. We like to come up with different goals for each match, which makes matches a little more fun. We are the sectional favorite again this year, and I want nothing more than to win. If we keep working hard, another sectional title is definitely within our reach.
To any incoming freshman reading this, I beg you to play tennis! Every single person who plays at our school will tell you it is a fun sport and team to be a part of. Mr. Hurst does a great job of molding great players while also having fun. I have learned to love a sport I will be able to play my whole life, and for that, I am forever grateful.
