The Importance of a Team

I have come to realize that a coach is more than just somebody to teach you the sport. I see now that a coach is someone that you can trust. They are you confidant and reliant. You should be able to tell them anything and then they in turn can help you become stronger and more independent. I found this out when our school was playing Whitinsville Christian and I had a flashback moment that caused me to freak out. I do not know if I have told you this story, but basically, someone in the crowd said something to her daughter, some encouraging words, and I instantly thought about Mom. I started to have a panic attack. If I could have, I would have walked away right then to air out my emotions. But for whatever reason, I wasn't allowed to do that. Perhaps it is because that would be a huge sign of weakness for my opponent and she would then know that she had won. I just think they want the game to go by as quickly as possible so that they can go home and do whatever else they wanted on their April vacation.

It's true, I wanted a bit more out of this tennis season than I got. I think we have officially lost our chance at the districts, but I can't be sure. We have two more games next week, and then that's it. If we lose one more game overall, then we are definitely out. That doesn't really matter to me though, I mean, I'm only a Freshmen. I don't think I could last very long against those other schools. The only individual wins that I have ever gotten were against Quabbin. I know I have improved immensely this year and I only hope to keep getting better. Maybe next year, I can play like our captain Kaitlin. I find it amazing that she has only been playing tennis since she was in 8th grade. I know that she is a lot better than me and is also an amazing teacher. I think she is hoping to do some teaching after college, maybe come back to Hudson and work with their summer program or even help out Mrs. Weed, like Coach M. did.

I realize that this is Kaitlin's last year on the Hudson Varsity Tennis Team. I know she probably wanted to leave with a greater end result than we have been given, but we are still so close. Anything could happen. As long as our spirits our high, we are invincible. So Kaitlin, know that you will be missed, and we were always impressed with you. We all love you, that I can say is certain.  I hope you have a lot of fun in college.