This years girls’ tennis tryouts took place at the Malden High School gym, led by Head Coach Cheryl Camassa. Tryouts consisted of drills mainly designed to see the girls’ groundstrokes. With 26 girls trying out this season only four to five spots were open since most spots were filled in with returning players.
After tryouts are completed and the season begins with the new teams, practices will consist of drills, conditioning, and competitive matches to determine which seed the players will play in. Coach Camassa stated “The bond within the team has been so rewarding,” and the team is “looking forward to new members joining the family.”
Camassa is encouraging towards the team and ultimately, “wants the girls to meet their personal goals while having a ton of fun”. With many returning players on the team she is “looking forward to continuing and hardening [her] bond with them, as well as meeting and accepting the new players who make the team and become part of the family.” Having a team with a common goal is what Camassa looks for in a united team.
The goal for this season, as stated by Camassa, is to “have fun”. According to Camassa “ [the team] might not win every match” but “as long as the girls are learning and growing in this sport while having fun, it's a win for [her].”
Although space on the team is limited Camassa finds it encouraging that some players who do not make the team still want to go to the practices. Players in the past have practiced with the team that did not make the team and have made the team later years. Camassa stated “dedication matters, coaches always pay attention to that.”
