Student-athletes tried out for the girls and boys tennis teams March 13-14 and March 25 across London. Seventy-seven students signed up for tryouts, including 42 boys and 35 girls.
Director of Athletics John Farmer said due to the large amount of interest, coaches had to make cuts for both teams, something that he does not recount doing in previous years.
鈥淲e talk about participation being one of the absolute core tenets, and it鈥檚 in our mission of getting as many people playing sports as we possibly can,鈥� Farmer said. 鈥淲hen we have to tell people, no, they can鈥檛 play that sport, it is sort of against what we want to do.鈥�
World Languages Teacher Whitney Nuchereno, who coaches the varsity boys and girls team, said there are various factors that contribute to how players are selected for the respective teams. The main priority set by coaches has been related to players鈥� abilities to perform in high-pressure moments.
鈥淩esults are big,鈥� Nuchereno said. 鈥淵ou can hit a ball really well, you can have a great forehand, but if you don鈥檛 know how to use it and you don鈥檛 know how to incorporate tactics into match play, then no one gives you a best forehand award at ISSTs. It鈥檚 how you perform.鈥�
Furthermore, Lily Rose Aysoy (鈥�26), who has played on the varsity tennis team since Grade 9, said she noticed a considerable increase in players with different abilities at tryouts.
鈥淎ll the girls at tryouts are very driven and, I mean, I could tell they’re determined to make JV or even varsity,鈥� Aysoy said. 鈥淚 think [for] tryouts this year, we had a really big mix of levels and skills.鈥�
Likewise, Ela G眉lener (鈥�24), who has been on the varsity tennis team since Grade 10, said she noticed an increase in underclassmen at tryouts, especially Grade 9 athletes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting to see freshmen coming in because a lot of them just bring new talents to the team as well as a dynamic energy,鈥� G眉lener said. 鈥淓specially as a senior, it’s great to see more freshmen because of the age difference.鈥�
G眉lener also said the girls played in doubles matches to demonstrate their abilities, which is unprecedented because of the high attendance during tryouts.
I think winning is important, but winning and having integrity is the best that we can hope for.
— Tennis Coach Whitney Nuchereno
鈥淭here鈥檚 just a lot more diversity getting in, and what I really appreciate about this year鈥檚 tryouts is I think, like, we鈥檙e more focused on getting diverse players,鈥� G眉lener said. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 more emphasis on, like, what role you will play in the team.鈥�
In addition, Aysoy said there has been a wide range of players in terms of skill level.
鈥淲e had some people that have never played tennis before or played very little, and then we had players that are super experienced and really good,鈥� Aysoy said.
Moreover, Nuchereno said she hopes the team can perform similarly to past years in terms of both performance and sportsmanship.
鈥淭hey call tennis a gentleman鈥檚 sport, and unfortunately, you don鈥檛 always see that in the sport,鈥� Nuchereno said. 鈥淚 think winning is important, but winning and having integrity is the best that we can hope for.鈥�
Overall, in the ambition of this year鈥檚 team having good chemistry, Aysoy also said she hopes the team can bond well despite tennis being less of a collaborative sport.
鈥淭ennis is a very individual sport, and it gets very competitive, so you don鈥檛 often see players that have amazing attitudes and like team spirit,鈥� Aysoy said. 鈥淗opefully, the girls鈥� team and boys鈥� team this year will, like, have a lot of chemistry together. I think that’s super important.鈥�
