Under the sweltering heat and sun, Varsity boys tennis partook in their first tournament of the year. Seven schools: Bear Creek, Castle View, Fountain-Fort Carson, Grandview, Lakewood, Overland, and Thomas Jefferson rallied on the Eaglecrest courts to win the title of champion in four single categories and four doubles categories. The Varsity team was only solidified last night, and placement for teams is still fair game after today’s tournament. This is because tennis is a very technical sport and an added technicality is the way they create the rosters for teams. The coaches do not decide any of the rosters; the players challenge each other to earn spots. In this way, tennis is truly based on how good you play that day. Coach Moore weighs in on what the hardest part of coaching then looks like in this setting, “The most difficult thing about coaching boys tennis would be, now that we’re much more competitive, creating an environment where there’s more expectations for competing than there has been in the past.” Challenges definitely address this need well.

Schuyler Wilcox, an 11th grader, agrees that “challenges are a good competition” he also added “If I win this I can move up. If I don’t I’m still here and I’ll still enjoy it.” This thought process is the same throughout many of the tennis players. Lucas Fedam, Wilcox’s doubles partner, adds that “Tennis is a good family environment.” There is a sense of family between all the boys despite challenges and overall competition.

While watching the tournament, the atmosphere is very subdued. There is no shouting, cheering, or yelling. Only the occasional clap. This environment is very different from many other sports game the student body is so accustomed to going to. Because many tournaments are all day, like the one today, it is hard to generate a large student body while also understanding the etiquette required for watching a game. However, there were still many students weaving in and out by the courts as they watched during lunch or on their off. I encourage you to go down to the courts at the next home tournament to watch our team, eat from the food shack, and enjoy watching such a sophisticated sport. The schedule for the team can be accessed here: https://eaglecresths.rschoolteams.com/page/2934.

Eaglecrest boys tennis will continue to grow and change as challenges occur over the season. Today; however, Eaglecrest won third place in number one singles. Wilcox and his partner, Lucas Fadem, also won Eaglecrest third overall in number one doubles. Although our team did not make it to the title of champion, I know we can expect great things from them in the future.