As of the past few years, Wyoming Valley West hasn´t had a boys tennis team at the high school level, some people are looking to change this and need the help of other students who are willing to join the team before spring comes around. 

The student behind the movement for a boys tennis team is David Longfoot, a current junior at the high school who is looking for members to join his own boys tennis team for the district. As of now, he isn’t finding the amount of people he needs, and with only a few months till spring, he will need other people interested to find him. 

I spoke to David as well as Mr. Nick Gill, the athletic director for the district, about the team. 

It has been quite some time since Valley West has seen a boy’s tennis team. When asked about this, Gill said¨The school hasn’t had a team for the past two years, every year prior to that there has been a team,¨ 

The absence of a team the past two years was likely due to the effects of COVID-19. Nearly all school activities were canceled the year covid began to spread into America. Sports and activities began to reopen last year, but some groups, like Boys Tennis, couldn´t find new members or regain the people they once had.

The inspiration to create a tennis team comes from Longfoot’s love of the sport and his search for equality. ¨Last year I got into tennis and decided I wanted to join the school’s team, only to find out that the school didn’t have a boys tennis team.¨ He continued, ¨ I later found out that the girls still had a team and figured it would be fair to everyone if I started a boys team as well.¨ 

There are many reasons to join a new sport, but people tend to shy away from new things and stick to what they know. When asked why someone should join the team, Longfoot said ¨It’s a fun thing to try, it’s also a very ´medium´ sport, not as physically demanding as other sports may be. It’s also a good community to be in, a great way to meet new people and make friends while doing something fun.¨ 

The main issue for the creation of the team is finding people willing to join.¨To start a team we would need seven people, although ideally we would have eight to 12 players. We can technically have five but that would be a bad number and we wouldn’t be able to play all the matches,¨ said Longfoot. When asked of the current amount, Longfoot responded ¨We currently have 4 players total.¨

The people interested in joining the team may wonder how they would secure a spot. ¨I’m hoping to get a paper outside of the cafeteria soon, however, someone can speak to me personally on days with homeroom in room 313,¨ Longfoot said 

As of now the team has no coaches, but many teachers have volunteered once the team is put together. The school also does not have its own court, so the team may have to travel for practices and meetings.

While tennis may not be for everyone, we encourage people to give it a try, whether in the boys or girls team. The team is completely open to new players, in fact, they encourage them!