South High’s tennis team is serving up more than just their matches—a team filled with talent and friendship.
Some team members shared their perspectives and experiences regarding tennis. Junior Isabella Camacho is in her second year on the team. Camacho shared why she joined. “I joined because I was bored and it seemed like an easy sport,” she said. While the sport takes a lot of focus, Camacho explained that the team knows how to keep the mood up. “We just crack jokes and eat snacks to keep the team’s energy up when a match isn’t going so well.”
Camacho reflected on the strengths she has learned while on the team.
“It has helped me be more considerate of others and able to communicate more with them,” she explained. For anyone thinking about joining next year, Camacho said you shouldn’t worry about being a pro. “Just try out. You don’t have to be a pro when you start out; you’ll learn and you’ll meet cool people.”
Senior Juana Tercero Ramos has been on the team for three years. She said she was intrigued about being more involved with the school. Ramos shared that starting out had its own challenges. “The hardest thing to learn when I first started was how to communicate with people; that was a challenge for me,” she explained. To stay calm before a match, Ramos has a strategy that many student-athletes can relate to. “I think about the food that’s waiting for me at home,” she said.
Senior Giselle Zamora joined the team this year. Zamora played soccer but wanted to be involved in something new. “I originally played soccer. I joined tennis to try something new and meet people,” she said. Zamora mentioned that she feels energetic, happy and relaxed when practicing on the court.
“We practice our serves, communication, footwork, drills and stuff like that,” she said. Zamora also added that being on the team has its pros and cons. “Pros are new friends and learning new skills and sets. Cons are the weather conditions of spring, as well as the commitment. Some people leave, so sometimes there are not enough people on the team.” But overall, Zamora shared that despite everything, her favorite thing about tennis is her friends. “Playing tennis with the girls is fun. I’m a big chatterbox, so I really like talking.”
Junior Vanessa Chaves-Silva has been playing since her freshman year. “I joined the team because growing up, me and my family always played tennis at the park. I wanted to play on an actual team,” she explained. Silva shared that she enjoys practicing with her teammates.
“When you practice on your own it’s limited. With a teammate, you can joke around, play better and learn things from them as well,” she said.
Silva emphasized that the team is very friendly to everyone. “Everyone’s supportive and welcoming to new players, and we’re all just trying to interact with them and make them feel seen,” she explained. “Being supportive of your teammates and being aware when a teammate is struggling and trying to help them out whenever you can is what makes you a good teammate.” To Silva, the most important skill is having a “strong mentality and security in themselves and being able to reflect on your mistakes and brush them off.”
Tennis coach Dominique Hyler has been coaching the team for three years. She chose to coach because she wanted to see the competitive side of the sport.
“I took lessons as a kid but never competed, so I wanted to see how the competitive side of tennis worked,” she explained. Even though the sport can be a challenge, the coach is proud of the team’s growth this season. “This year there has been a huge growth in attendance. I’m excited for the future, about playing on the weekends and being more responsible.”
Overall, the coach hopes the players take these lessons with them after they graduate.
“It taught me to be more responsible and not leave things to the next day. You need to respond to tennis and teaching by being more understanding and flexible,” she said.
Hyler also described what she looks for during tryouts and how the team stays connected.
“I want them to be a good human and be nice to each other; that’s the number one priority. You also need competitiveness, because if you’re not, it’s hard to have a good match,” she stated. So far, Hyler has enjoyed the relaxed environment the team has built together.
“We can just joke around without me needing to be mean because they are responsible,” she said. As the season wraps up, Hyler’s final advice to the team is to stay humble. “Don’t get discouraged, just practice and get better. It sucks to lose but just work hard and keep trying.”
Things are looking up for the team recently. Varsity won its match against Buena Vista on April 2, and junior varsity took a win against North on April 6.
