After losing their top four of six varsity players to graduating last May, this year has been a rebuilding season for the boys tennis team.
“This season my goal was to see our team this season have good spirits since we lost a lot of seniors last year, so it was going to be kind of a rough year and I just wanted everyone to have fun because tennis is no fun when everyone is angry that they lost,” junior and varsity player Shazan Mian said.
The team will compete in the districts tournament May 7-9 at Rockwood Summit high school this week.
“We are hoping to place but the way it is looking right now it seems like a reach,” varsity player Shazan Mian said. “But we have been working on improving our individual weaknesses and strategies.”
With a current record of 5-6, the team has been focusing on their mental toughness leading up to districts.
“Our mental strength is sometimes our weakness. Some of us get really angry when we lose and so mental strength is something we have improved a lot on this year but can still get better at,” Mian said. “This season my goal was to see our team this season have good spirits since we lost a lot of seniors last year, so it was going to be kind of a rough year and I just wanted everyone to have fun because tennis is no fun when everyone is angry that they lost.”
Mian, who began playing tennis freshman year, following in the footsteps of his dad and older brother, met his goal of playing varsity this season.
“I had to dedicate more time to the sport specifically outside of tennis season, so I would go out and play often throughout the school year so year round I would be practicing,” Mian said.
The team has also been focusing on team bonding to help them perform their best.
“My favorite memory was going out with all the other JV boys to get ice cream from Baskin Robbins after we lost to Ladue. It had been a very difficult match in which almost all of us lost except our very bottom team. This was ultimately a success worth celebrating because this was their first win of the season,” JV player and sophomore Jon Ma said.
Ma picked up tennis this season when he decided not to be involved with the Improv team.
“Despite being an individual sport played with at most one other person, our team still feels very close. I play to be active as well as be involved with a greater community of people who share something in common with me,” Ma said. “My goals this season were to just learn the basics, nothing too crazy.”
With seven matches having been canceled or rescheduled over the course of the season, the players have faced challenges.
“The weather has been an issue a lot this season but everyone’s kept a positive attitude about last minute changes,” coach Katelyn McCreary said. “I think we have a good opportunity to win the first few rounds of districts. Our team is a very diverse group of young players who play hard and show great sportsmanship towards other teams.”
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Shubham Vyas • May 11, 2018 at 6:04 pm
Awesome Article Claire! Really enjoyed the read. We had an awesome season despite doubts at the beginning of the season that we wouldn’t be competitive. I myself, as captain, really was proud what the team had accomplished. Thank you for writing our story!