Tennis: That’s a Lot of Love
Wylie Tennis has a long-standing tradition of success, and according to Wylie High’s head coach Adam Cherry, it’s location and foundation that have brought the steadfast success over the years.
“Abilene is a big tennis town,” said Cherry. “There are so many people who teach tennis, and this infrastructure plays a role in our success.”
Cherry said having three colleges in Abilene, the Abilene Country Club and numerous tennis organizations make the sport available to anyone looking to play.
In addition to the community support for the sport, Cherry says Wylie’s junior high tennis program plays a huge part in developing students at an early age. He says while some Wylie students start playing at younger ages, many of them begin in seventh grade.
Cue West Junior High’s coach Rose Bristow who has coached Wylie’s tennis players since 2003. Needless to say, she has been an integral part of building the program at Wylie and has seen the program grow and maintain competing at the highest levels while transitioning from 3A to 5A play.
According to Bristow, the program was started in the mid 1990s by Stacy Bryan. After a couple years, the program expanded into junior high. “Bryan saw the potential,” said Bristow. Adding that allowing students to experience tennis in sixth grade PE gives them exposure to the sport and the coaches an opportunity to start recruiting, and then seventh grade brings the opportunity to try competing.
“Starting young, in seventh grade, and having students fall in love with the sport – we are lucky we have that and get to be part of a winning high school program,” said Bristow. We have amazing, amazing coaches who uphold a competitive standard.”
Lee Livingston and Parker Briley earned Wylie’s first individual championship title in 1996 in boys doubles, and then in 2002, the team earned its first championship title. Bristow said today, Wylie tennis players maintain the same competitive attitude seen years ago.
“None of them want to be remembered as the class who didn’t compete well,” she said with a grin. Something she can relate to easily as a player and coach.
Coaching alongside Cherry is assistant high school coach Zane McCurley, and then at East Junior High is coach Savannah Fisher. McCurley played tennis as a student at Wylie.
Wylie Tennis, Anyone?
The students who play tennis for Wylie have diverse backgrounds. Some began playing at a very young age and others started in seventh grade. Regardless of their experience, both types of athletes have competed at the state level. Bristow says the varsity boy athletes who recently competed at state this past October started playing in seventh grade. Is joining Wylie Tennis in your future? Wylie players share why you should say “yes.”
How has your experience been with playing tennis as your first school sport?
“I was excited and nervous at first because I had mainly taken private lessons. My first tournament was nerve-raking because I didn’t know what to expect, but now it’s not so bad because I am more prepared.” -Charlie Harrell, 7th grade, WJH
Why did you switch to tennis from baseball?
“In eighth grade, I started taking lessons and just fell in love with the sport. I like being in control of what I do. I’m in my own world when I’m out there – in my own element.” -Landon Cofer, freshman on JV
What advice would you about playing tennis if a person has never played?
“I played a lot of sports and none were tennis before junior high. Just go for it! It’s really fun, and it can still workout really well even if you don’t have experience.” -Arabella Dlugiewicz, junior on Varsity
How has playing tennis in junior high made you a better player despite having some experience beforehand?
“Coach Fisher helps us get better and the opportunity to play in matches. If you only practice, you’ll still get better, but you have to play in matches to be able to beat people.” -Cael Marshall, 8th grade, EJH
How has playing tennis made you a better student?
“It’s helped me organize my time better, balancing school and tournaments.” -Hope Willis, sophomore on Varsity
Why should someone consider playing tennis?
“Whenever you play tennis, everything you do is based on you. It’s your results, and it’s investing in a sport you can play for a lifetime.” -Tate Heuerman, senior on Varsity
Raring to go
Wylie coaches share what to expect if you are ready to hit the courts.
IN HIGH SCHOOL
While there are many things to know about playing tennis at the high school level, Coach Cherry said the first thing to expect is a commitment to time.
“Be prepared to start early and be very busy,” says Cherry. “Tryouts start early and are generally the last week of July. Next year’s tryouts are July 28-31, and if your athlete is in the top 10, they will travel to compete before school starts.”
Cherry said incoming freshman and the higher grades actually “earn their way into varsity tryouts” by participating in an initial tryout. If they advance to the formal tryouts, then they compete to earn 1 of 8 spots on varsity, which has a girl varsity team and a boy varsity team.
As for the season, tennis is played throughout the year. Singles is played from July to October, and then after a short two-month off-season, doubles tennis begins in January and runs until late May. Cherry said during pre-season, they will compete against schools who will challenge them to up their skills and tennis IQ.
“You learn so much from playing against better people,” said Cherry. Something Coach Bristow also conveyed. “We have always done that…tough schedule, top-notch schools. It makes us better.”
IN JUNIOR HIGH
East Junior High coach, Savannah Fisher, says the junior high program is like the high school program, but often acts as an introduction, giving many students the opportunity to try playing for the first time.
“This is one thing I love about our tennis program. It gives us the ability to grow exponentially and gives a lot of students an opportunity to be involved in an extracurricular activity,” said Fisher. “There are no tryouts for junior high tennis, so everyone who would like to play is put in either a beginner, intermediate, or competitive class. Players in competitive tennis practice before school or after school depending on their grade.”
Like high school, Fisher said athletes do still play in tournaments during the fall and spring, as well as play dual matches in the spring. She says students often fall for the sport while they navigate through their first year.
“Our junior high players fall in love with the sport and end up getting into group or private lessons. This is one reason why the Wylie tennis program is so successful,” said Fisher.
Coach Fisher believes for a sport that is simple to begin – just a racket and tennis shoes — the benefits are many. Fisher said students learn leadership, perseverance, sportsmanship and resilience all while playing a sport that encourages community and has longevity.
“In tennis you must be mentally tough. You have to learn to control your emotions and push through difficult times in matches. This is something that can be very valuable to life. Tennis is both an individual and team sport. Because of this, you have to learn to rely on others and be reliable. At the junior high level, we instill these two attributes into our daily practices,” said Fisher. “I think tennis is great because it is a lifelong sport. Whether you start from a young age or when you are an adult, anyone of any age can pick up a racket and see how much fun tennis is.”
By Kristen Johnson