The start of the Tennis season has come at last. Practice began on Monday, March 10th; for the Boy’s Team on the newly refurbished courts at Central Park, and the Girl’s Team at the Rose Park courts.
The team is hoping to repeat last year’s success. The Boy’s Team got second at Divisional’s last year, and the Girl’s Team won. Both the Boy’s Team and the Girl’s Team then won State A Tennis last year. Unfortunately, however, the Boy’s Team lost a lot of their players from last year and only have two new freshmen. Similarly, the Girl’s Team also lost some of their best players, although they have a lot of new players.
Tennis is a unique sport; not only has it been played for hundreds of years, but you can play it by yourself in singles or with a partner in doubles. Some players prefer doubles because of the teamwork and strategy; as senior, Billie Cate Schmidt says, “I like doubles more than singles because the strategy is much more fun to me, plus I love having someone to cheer on and someone to cheer me on during the match.” Schmidt is a senior that has played tennis and made it to State all three years prior, winning it last year. She started the sport when she was in third grade, but she really picked it up in high school. She enjoys tennis because of the team and athletic aspects, as she says, “I also like tennis because it lets me be physically active, while still having tons of fun. The team is always super nice, no matter if you are an upperclassman or an underclassman, it truly feels like a family.” Schmidt won first place at State in doubles last year and hopes to do just as well this year.
Another thing that makes tennis unique is that you can play even if you haven’t played before. Evan Miller is a senior that has played three years of tennis, starting his sophomore year. He hadn’t played a lot of tennis before his first season, but he picked it up quick. He likes doubles, but he doesn’t know if he will play doubles or singles this year, as he says, “I like doubles more just for the team atmosphere, [and] being able to talk to other people during the match. I don’t know what I’ll play, though. Right now, it’s undecided. It’ll just be where coach thinks I’m gonna play best, but I would prefer to play doubles.” Miller almost made it to State last year but lost in the deciding match. He was a little upset, but maintained his cool; as he says, “I was a little upset because I had won against the kid previously in the season, and then I ended up losing in the third set tie breaker to him. But overall, it was good, and it was a fun match.”
The Billings Central Tennis Team wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the coaches. Each coach is encouraging and friendly, however, they won’t let that get in the way of helping the players. Schmidt comments, “The coaches, for both the Boy’s Team and the Girl’s Team, have helped me to become a better player every day. Each coach is very friendly but will still get their point across when they need to. They have improved my tennis skills, as well as my athleticism, and they truly make everyone feel like a family.” The coaches also help the players not only mentally but physically, as Miller says, “The coaches have definitely helped me improve my technical game with it. I’ve always been there mentally with it, but they’ve definitely helped me with techniques and different things like that.”
Overall, tennis is a fun sport, with kids joining with little to no experience alongside seasoned players. And none of it would be possible if it weren’t for the coaches who work tirelessly to help the players. Ultimately, despite some player losses, the Billings Central Tennis Team is looking forward to a great season.
