The girls’ tennis team is one of WESS’s many developing teams. While they aren’t yet eligible to participate in playoffs, they still can practice and have a few scrimmage matches. Unfortunately, the team hasn’t exactly gotten off to a smooth start. The team is split into two groups, beginners and advanced. Each group practices twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One group goes for the first hour (4:00-5:00) on either Tuesdays or Thursdays, and the other group goes the remaining hours (5:00-6:00). This has not proved to be the most successful strategy in getting everyone to play. Since school ends at 3:55, they don’t get to the courts until around 4:30. 

After the team missed the first few weeks of practice due to rain, they spent at least ten minutes checking in, meaning the first group only had about 15 minutes to play that day. They are planning to change up their schedule by reserving three courts from 5:00-6:00 and have each group practice them. Ella Oppenheimer reports that “we haven’t had a ton of practices, but the ones that we have had have been good.”

I hope for the best for the WESS girls tennis team, and are proud of how persistent they have been! Hopefully next year the hiccups will be worked out and in 10th grade, they will formally be members of PSAL and eligible for playoffs, funding, and practice every day.