The Goodpasture Christian School tennis season is in full swing. They played Clarksville Academy on March 11 to kick off their regular season, which will last until the end of April.
The team will practice every A-day during fourth block until school is over. The girls are currently 5-1, and the boys are 2-6.
With boys and girls total, there are nineteen people on the team and consists of seven seniors.
The team members are Addie Rose McClellan, Cayden Burke, Naomi Cartwright, Eddie Chan, Maja Daugherty, Hannah Edwards, Auston Estes, Corrie Gallina, Frank Gallina, Lauren Gillingham, Grady Goodman, Olivia Harding, Auburn Haun, Max Head, Jayden Jones, Jesse Kindall, Ella Morgan, Addi Ruffin, and, lastly, Skye Yau.
They have had seven games, and their upcoming games are on April 10th against Friendship Academy, at Friendship, which is both boys and girls, and April 14 against Davidson Academy at home, which is just girls.
“The tennis team has a bright future; Come and support us at our upcoming matches,” senior Addie Rose McClellan said.
It is chorus teacher Zach Shockley’s first year coaching tennis.
“Stepping into my first year as a coach has been both exciting and a bit daunting,” Coach Shockley said.
Coach Shockley believes that it’s a real responsibility to support the players and is still learning the ins and outs of the sport.
“Thankfully, my years at Goodpasture have allowed me to build relationships with many of the students on our teams, which has made this transition easier and helped us work toward finding the best ways to succeed,” Coach Shockley said. “The most rewarding part is watching the kids have fun while gaining a deeper appreciation for tennis and how humbling of a sport it can be. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and consider it a true privilege to serve Goodpasture in this way.”
Senior Max Head, who is the tennis captain and number one seed, has only lost one of his six games.
While this tennis season has experienced a number of changes, whether that be with coaching staff, team members, matches, etc., all of my teammates remind me that tennis is not only about winning and destroying the opponent. Rather, it’s a chance to grow and connect with one another… even with the opposing team! The atmosphere in this sport is unlike any other. Whether connecting with others might be while playing a tennis match or just sitting on the bench chatting with people, tennis is my favorite sport because every year it feels like I’m meeting someone new, and forming a relationship with them. While it is sad to see my tennis career at Goodpasture soon come to an end, I can’t help but to smile and laugh at the countless memories I have made through this spectacular sport called tennis,” Max Head said.
