Sophomore Sydney Hansen competes with the Oakmont’s girls tennis team and reflects on the memorable times that playing for the school has added to the high school experience.

Playing alongside fellow Oakmont students allows bonding that can make “classmate” and “teammate” interchangeable words for the tennis players, while furthering the athletes’ passion for the game.

“My favorite part of the tennis season this year is being able to improve my skills alongside friends!” Hansen said. “I really love tennis, and being able to have fun while getting better is so awesome.”

The dedication that comes with being a student-athlete requires commitment and invokes strengthening of the team’s skills, allowing for a collective development and enhancement of the team’s capabilities.

“Being able to practice every day is super nice,” Hansen said. “I improve[d] so much over the course of just two months, because of our daily practices.”

The relationships can relay on and off the court, while continuing to refine technique and play the given game with a competitive spirit.

“It’s been incredible!” Hansen said. “We are an amazing team, and we just finished up our season, winning 9-1. It’s so much fun, and we have great players and an awesome coach.”

The remainder of the season consists of competitions that are new to Hansen, but the experiences are welcomed with a force of enthusiasm.

“Well, our season is pretty much over, but we still have play-offs and tournaments,” Hansen said. “I’m so excited for both; [I] play[ed] in my first tournament [recently], and [I] really [looked] forward to it.”

The 2021 school year season left big shoes to fill, as it was a flourishing and successful season coming off of a league championship win that could motivate the athletes to strive for similar success in the 2022 season.

“It was so much fun!” said Hansen. “Not only were we successful in tennis, but we were also very united as a team and I think that played a role in us winning league champions last year.”

Oakmont’s girls tennis team got the exciting opportunity to compete for the league title again; this 2022 season. 

“I feel like a big part of the process leading up to winning league was the conditioning we did,” Hansen said. “We conditioned a lot more than other teams, which I think helped us a lot to survive the hot weather and be more in shape than other teams.”

Ending it with a triumphant victory and a 9-1 record for the season, the championship became the team’s second consecutive league win.

Competing in tennis with a similar spirit as Hansen can create an outlet for moments that form high school memories, as well as a growing passion for the sport.