Community Post: WY Tennis Team

I believe that I am a part of three great communities. My family, my school (Whitney M. Young), and the school tennis team. These are all communities that I feel comfortable in and consists of good people with important roles. Everyone is just a single piece in these communities, but without everybody, the puzzle wouldn't be complete.The Whitney Young Tennis Team is a community that I recently joined this August, and I love it very much! The team is usually located on the tennis courts across the street from school.

There are four courts in total, each different from the other and consisting of a net and 2-4 competitive athletes. Court #1 in the front left side is the center stage to me because that's in front of the coach's tent. You want to play to the best of your ability to show your coach what you are able to do and that you are worthy of wearing this uniform. Next to court #1 is court #2, which is the 2nd place court. It's still a good spot because the coaches can see you, but the sunlight hits you a lot more. On the back left side is court #3, which is the court that most of the girls usually want because there's a big tree nearby that provides beautiful shade in the scorching weather. The JV team usually lines up against the fence of this court to cool down after an exhausting match, to chat for a while, and root for our fellow teammates. Right next to court #3 is court #4, my personal favorite. Even though the sun hits it a lot more than the others, I never minded it because this is the court where I played my first few matches when I joined the team, so it's special to me. Even with the beautiful and breath taking talent that is displayed, these courts are not the greatest. The floors of many are cracked, there are only four (which isn't enough to accommodate the nearly 30 players on the team), and there are no benches for parents and fellow classmates to sit and come cheer us on.

The courts aren't in the nicest condition (compared to the dozens that lake forest and new trier have), but the people that play in them are amazing. Every person at Whitney young is expected to do their very best in anything and everything that they do, and sports are no exception. The coaches expect every single player to be on time for practice and matches, and give it their 100%. Since this is a " no cut" tennis team, everyone is able to join, but you must put in effort to improve. Practice is held everyday for 2 hours or more and you can see the hard work in all of the girls faces. The Varsity consists of the better players, and I think all the girls look up to them because they play so well. Their role on this team is to work hard for important tournaments and stand as an example for the rest of the girls. Members of the JV team have a smaller role, but still equally as important. We all must work hard at practice and on our free time to improve our game, and hope to one day be as good as the girls on the Varsity team. The coaches on this team are always watching our every move during a match and tell us what we need to work on. They help us improve on things that we are struggling with and give us good tips and advice to move around the court quicker and defeat our opponent. Since I am on the JV team, my role is to improve my game with the help of my coaches and be in shape. I should work out on my own time besides at practice.

A community could be a group of people with common values and interests. In this case, we all have a thing for tennis. None of us would be on this team if it were not for this wonderful sport. This is my community because I have been playing tennis with my dad since I was a little girl and love the sport. Joining this team seemed like a good way to express myself with other girls with this common interest and to relax after a grueling day of hard work at school. This particular community makes me feel comfortable because I am surrounded by girls who have become my friends in this period of time and who are there to cheer me on and support me. The coaches also make me feel like a good player. I may not be the best, but they will help me improve. I had never been a part of a team or club like this, and I am very grateful to call this a family and one of my communities.