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Photo taken during Tri-Cities posted on RamNation Recap September 22-26
By: Yuhan L
The start of season 1 athletics is always a vibrant scene at AISG, yet there are always concerns from students and parents: Th e life of high school athletes can be very difficult. For the tennis players of AISG, this claim holds true. The balance of on-court excellence and academic performance proves to be an ongoing problem that students face.
Unlike athletes of Varsity Volleyball and Varsity Cross Country, the tennis team uses facilities that are far from campus. The additional commute caused tennis players to end their practice about 15 minutes later than others. In addition, there is only one bus route that goes to the Ersha Campus, making the journey home for some even more challenging.
When asked about how going home late affects efficiency in doing homework, Grade 10 student Andrew C. says, “Although it is possible to create a plan in advance, the overall amount of time left to complete work would be minimal and the constant pressure would force you to work overtime into midnight.”
Despite the challenges , students still have a pleasant experience with the team. Each practice, there are always fun activities where players could demonstrate their skill in different aspects of tennis while having fun with their teammates.
On top of focusing on individual techniques, players get to compete with teammates, applying their skills to the game. Every practice starts with 10-15 minutes of intense rallying, which helps players to develop a consistent baseline game.
Grade 10 student Claire W. notes that she gets to play with athletes of similar levels. She elaborates on this point, saying that “This allowed me to get experience actually playing matches against people, in contrast to the tennis training outside of school where I am mainly practicing with a teacher.”
Not only that, but the practices also prepare athletes for challenging conditions in real games. Grade 12 student Ethan Z., a mixed doubles player, says that practice is organized in a way that “simulates the situations in real games and prepares you or mental challenges”.
“The most interesting part of our practice would be playing points or games…” he elaborates, “…it’s also what gets me excited.”
From the voices of players, it is evident that even facing difficulties in balancing school and sports, players still enjoy practice.
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