From a small team trying their hardest for signups to a team with so many people that not all can play, the tennis team has grown exponentially since the previous season. This August, the OH girls tennis team has seen some changes, with 38 girls overall on the team.
OH girls tennis coach Aaron Kramer said, “[They] typically do not have enough players,” and because of the increase, “it’s nice to have the problem where there’s too many players.”
New players report being excited about the team and being able to spend time with friends. Sophomore Olivia Lamb said she played some “tennis over the summer [and] wanted to do something fun for school,” so she tried out for the team.
The team has been working hard this year with a record of 6-4. With a large number of players, coaches say they feel the increase helped the team.
“The only way you’re [going to] have a team that develops and has better players is by people that are interested in learning the sport and getting better at the sport,” Coach Aaron Kramer shared.
The majority of older players believe that the new players have joined just because they know someone on the team, but this is seen as a benefit because “there [were] definitely a couple girls who [thought], ‘oh I’m [going to] invite my friends,” said senior Taylor Yackley. She “feel[s] like [this is] the biggest reason [for] the turnout.”
Players and coaches can agree that the increase in the amount of potential players isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and some see it as a benefit to the team.
Junior Varsity coach, Amy Bales said she “like[s] that more people are getting involved in tennis these days.” Bales says they have “a lot of depth on [the] team,” so if someone is sick or injured “someone [could] step up and take over.”
While the team may see benefits, other teammates may have trouble knowing everyone and have the time to interact with each other.
Credit: Juju Abouhaiba, OH
As team captain, Yackley is getting to know the team. “So many of these girls [I do not] even know their names [yet].” Yackley wants to know her fellow teammates but “since [they] go [their] separate ways, it gets hard.”
Even though so many girls have joined this year, coaches haven’t had to change too many of their plans. Bales says she “pretty much keep[s] the same standards for everyone, it’s just the matter of breaking it down.”
A major factor of the team being able to function is because of assistant coaches and team managers from the boys tennis team.
Kramer says that his assistant coach, coach Boudreau “has been instrumental in helping this season” between building a second junior varsity and being a volunteer coach; “he has helped by being a third unpaid coach.”
With the sudden increase in players, coaches have had to split jv into two separate teams based on experience and seniority. Yackley said this “is the first ever time [they’ve] done this,” with the JV team receiving help from three coaches.
Hello! My name is Kayla Goddard and I'm a Senior at Oswego high school, this is my second year on the 42Fifty staff, now a news and social media editor. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
