After participating in a local tournament, Franklin High School’s tennis team finished their season this past Friday, Oct. 27. The team finished with 0 wins, but with hopes for the future.

Almost all of this year’s team members, except two, were new to the sport. ¨Our season was really good, [since] it was a learning experience for the new players,¨ Coach Jay Smith said.

Through this experience, the players got closer and helped each other throughout the season.¨There were ups and downs throughout the season [but I] like how the players were helping each other,¨ Smith said.

As Smith said, they had ups and downs, and one of their biggest struggles, according to the coach, was “when there was a growth period that the team was having, and they never outgrew that growth period.¨

Smith also mentioned that teams are supposed to support each other, but sadly, the team did not get to that point because of the loss of some players. This made the team shift from a team on the rise to stagnant in the same place.

The team members pointed out that the most difficult part about this season was leaving class early, which caused them to fall behind on their work. ¨Keeping up energy [was difficult],¨ said Aniyah Yanez (10).

Many of the players found it difficult to balance their studies with the demands of being a student athlete.¨It is easy when you keep track of everything [classwork],¨ said Jimena Hernandez (11).

Yaritza Tamayo (10) said she also felt that organization was crucial and added that to be successful in both, people should not procrastinate.
Smith also mentioned that what he is looking forward to changing next year is having more court time. By this, he meant that the team would need to play more. ¨Growth, commitment, and understanding,¨ said Smith. He said that he would communicate these values at the beginning of next season to have a more successful team.

At the end of this season, Smith said he did see improvement in the team’s cohesion. ¨[I saw the team] playing tennis together and supporting each other…I saw that in the tournament, which is essential in the team… it looks promising,¨ said Smith.