Anticipation, competition, action, and a racket. These four words describe tennis tryout participants’ ever-growing tension just weeks before the announcement of the school’s first-ever high school tennis team, which will be coached by High School Athletic Director Wayne Robertson.
Yet, many more pleasant words can be used to describe the atmosphere of Pine View’s own courts, where hopefuls attend tennis workouts to polish their skills and meet potential members of the team.
“Well, they certainly hone teamwork and sportsmanship,” freshman Daniel Michael said about the workouts. “The coach [has] certainly dealt with all unsportsmanlike conduct and we’ve learned to become better sportsmen. [They have] also been helping my analytical skills of seeing various opponents and finding out how to counter several play styles. And it’s beneficial for everybody.”
At workouts, not only can athletes familiarize themselves with the competition, but they can also discover what attracted them to the team. Michael, who has played tennis since elementary school, saw school pride as a source of motivation.
“I just see myself as amicable and I [want] to be coached. [I] value any feedback that I get,” he said. “I just want to be on the team, so that I can help out my school. And, if I’m going to be completely honest, it also looks good on a college application.”
For some players, like freshman Bianca Grebing, the decision to join the team involved compromises.
“I got injured for, like, a year. [I] had to take a year break. So, technically, I’ve been playing for three years… it was from a different sport I [played], so that caused me to quit tennis as well, which was really sad because I did ballet… I had to stop both for a year,” Grebing said.
Ninth grader Bianca Grebing plays a doubles round with three other girls who aspire to be on the tennis team. Grebing has been playing tennis for four years and has competed in tournaments at IMG.
Grebing was split between her 13-year pursuit, ballet, and her newfound interest, tennis.
“It definitely was hard to choose, but I just chose what was best and what I would have time for more, and how it would affect my future,” Grebing said. “I knew that if I had to continue ballet, I would have to put in a lot more work than tennis, and I would probably have to go to a less-demanding school, which I didn’t want to do. I wanted to stay at Pine View, so I decided to pursue tennis instead.”
Despite the challenges that the difficult decision imposed, Grebing realized that her versatile background was a virtue.
“I think ballet has definitely helped with tennis, because I’m more athletic as a person with ballet, so I can run faster,” Grebing said. “I have good coordination, for sure, coordination is a big thing in ballet as well as tennis… balance also, ballet is huge on balance, which has helped in tennis.”
Among the number of candidates who are new to varsity tennis, a seasoned player has emerged. Senior Isabella Zmiyiwsky has an impressive 12 years of tennis to her name. This year, Zmiyiwsky plans on using her consistency and considerable expertise to make the team.
“I think I’m qualified for the team because I’ve been playing for such a long time, and I was on the Riverview tennis team last year, so I already have experience with being on a team,” Zmiyiwsky said.
For players at every point in their athletic journey, the inaugural season of Pine View’s tennis team represents a milestone, whether late in their high school career like Zmiyiwsky or just entering the varsity world like freshman Varshini Ganesh.
“I played tennis for the middle school tennis team, so I already know what the season feels like, but varsity is obviously at a different level,” Ganesh said.
The approach to preparing for tryouts differs for every player. As Ganesh sees it, 5:00 A.M. is the perfect place to start her routine.
“I’ve been focusing on the parts of my game that I know need the most work,” she said. “I practice after school and go to the gym in the morning before school to improve my footwork and build strength and endurance. When I’m practicing, I try to mix drills with match-style practice. I also have a hitting partner that I train with regularly.”
Ganesh keeps this rigorous routine in hopes that she can make it to Division 1 college tennis, but she sees varsity tennis as a stepping stone in her journey.
“Since this is the first year Pine View is offering high school tennis, it would be cool to be there from the beginning and see what it turns into,” she said.
Although these stories, ranging from sacrifices to childhood dreams, uniquely shape every player’s perception of tennis, one principle is shared among every passionate competitor: the thrill of winning comes from the tenacity of following your dreams no matter the obstacle and the ambition of creating more dreams for the future.
So as the final, unified team enters the court for the first time, they begin the construction of a season that students years from now will look back on.
Gallery
Freshman George Bovkun-Grytsencko (pictured second from left) at his tennis academy. To prepare for tennis tryouts, Bovkun-Grytsencko attends his academy and plays practice matches. Bovkun-Grytsencko defines his attitude on and off court as what makes him unique, as he says, “…I love tennis and I want people [who] I play with to love it as much as [I do].” PHOTO PROVIDED BY VARSHINI GANESH.
Credit to Varshini Ganesh for interviewing George Bovkun-Grytsencko.
Freshman Daniel Vashkevych practices his serve at tennis workouts. Like other players, Vashkevych utilizes the conditioning sessions available to all high school students on every Wednesday.
At tennis workouts, sophomore Maxwell Whisnant plays against a diverse array of players. These practice sessions bring hopefuls closer together and allow them to scope out the playing field prior to tryouts.
Court space fills up quickly, causing players to share a court or stick to playing doubles rounds. In the picture, freshman Leo Rossi (far left) and sophomore Aristion Spanos (far right) share one side of the court.
Pictured above is a day at Pine View’s tennis workouts. There, Coach Wayne Robertson monitors students’ techniques and aptitude before they attend tryouts.
Freshman Hailey Han warms up at tennis workouts. “I think that I should be on the tennis team because I put a lot of time and effort into my gameplay and I am committed to working with a team and building strong relationships,” said Han.