ADVERSITY: Varsity boys’ tennis faces many challenges as the upcoming season approaches.
By Franklin Racobs, Staff Writer
It is not uncommon to see high school athletes who play for a school they do not attend. Often times, a student is homeschooled or attends a private school that does not offer the competitive sport that he or she is interested in playing. In these cases, some students choose to play at their local public high school.
This situation is seen in a few sports on Poly’s campus, including varsity boys’ tennis. One of the team’s top players Corey Lundsford (10) attends the STEM Academy, a magnet school located in Riverside.
Having an athlete on a team who does not attend class with his or her teammates every day can be a challenge. It can lead to communication and team bonding problems which are vital aspects to any team that wants to be successful. Although the boys’ tennis season has not yet begun, the boys need to become closely-bonded with their fellow teammates in order to win matches.
Another challenge that the team must overcome is one that all high school teams have to face: the loss of seniors. Not only did the the team lose seniors, but according to tennis player Cole Bennner (10) many of the seniors the team lost were “key players” like Garrett Mac Arthur, Casey Elton, Trent Harris and Captain Nicholaus Jacobs.
In order for the boys to achieve success this season, they will need to rise above the complications that come with mixing boys from separate schools into a united team and losing valuable seniors. Extra time spent on team bonding should help the team reach its goal.