By Valendy Pierre
Looking back, The Blue and White has covered many sports. However, we saved one of the best and possibly most interesting for last— tennis. It is played in either singles or doubles — meaning one on one or two on two. The players compete in a set, playing 5 singles matches and 2 doubles matches, so a team needs to win 4 of those to win the overall match. The objective of this racquet sport is simple — aim to hit the ball within the margins, but in such a way that your opponent cannot retrieve the ball. The total points to win a match is four which are scored as follows: 1 point 15, 2 points 30, and 3 points 40, although if the score is tied at 40, this is known as a deuce and a player must win by a clear two points. To focus more on Apopka’s tennis team, the 8 boys and 12 girls are under the guidance of Coach Edgar Sanders. As well as teaching Economics, Sanders has been coaching tennis for three years. Because this is an individual sport, they don’t get rankings as a team, but every single athlete did an amazing job throughout the season.
One important aspect of a great team is chemistry between teammates. The coach says the boys and girls love hanging out and they’re a good group. Character off of the court has a large factor in determining your character on the court. When asked about the turnout of this season, sophomore Katherine Mays says that, “Overall we have all grown sufficiently, and we are only just getting started with districts coming up next week.” Though most of this group is experienced, they plan to work their butts off with intense practices for districts coming up. There are three outstanding players that demand attention. For girls, the top player is Anya Rambaram. Unfortunately, Rambaram is a senior and will be missed next year. The two outstanding players in the boys’ group are Chris Nguyen and Nick Bertou — who happen to be freshmen! There is no doubt that these two will do great things in this program.
For those who are looking for a club or sport to join, tennis is here. Experience is recommended, but it is a fun sport to learn and play. Mays recommends tennis for those who are looking for a sport where you can learn new things and be part of a true family of players. When asked why people should try out for tennis, Chris, who has been playing for about eight years, replies saying, “People can make new friends out of it, and it’s something fun to do after school…you might even able to get a scholarship out of playing.”