Girls’ tennis captains secure their legacy by leading the team
Behind every good sports team, there is great leadership, and this applies to the NPHS girls’ tennis team. Along with the coach, five senior captains educate younger players through their experience and skill. By leading the team in another great season they secure their legacy as distinguished mentors.
Corryn Spencer, senior, had never played tennis before joining the team in her freshman year. Now, as a captain, she is very involved in motivating the team. “If anyone has questions, I like to help them out with as much knowledge as I’ve gained over the years, to try and provide them with a solution and even an example,” Spencer said. Before games, she tries to hype up the younger players. “I just want to help people to feel confident in themselves and the skills that they know that they have,” Spencer said.
Another captain who has been working hard this season is Nicole Pirie, senior. “As a captain, we are responsible for keeping the team organized and together, because the coach is just there to help us get better, but we have to plan all the events,” Pirie said. “We set the mood for practices and how intense we’re gonna be.” In addition to leading the team, the captains make sure to foster personal connections with each player. “Every game, we meet in the hallway, and we just have a talk […] and we all hype each other up,” Pirie said.
As a member of the team, Vishaka Vijayakumar, sophomore, finds the captains very helpful. She aspires to become a captain when she is a senior. “All the captains, whenever you’re on a court with them, they’ll try to help you and they’ll try to give you advice, and I’ve definitely improved because of them,” Vijayakumar said. After playing on the team with them last year, she thinks she has gotten to know the captains very well. “We’ve done a lot of team bonding events because of them […] and they’re just really good at making sure everyone gets to know each other, especially during tryouts and during our time on the team,” Vijayakumar said.
As their time at NPHS comes to a close, these captains hope to leave a lasting impression on their teammates. By leading practices, offering advice and running team bonding activities, their impact will be echoed through the succeeding seniors. “I feel like captains always leave behind a legacy in a way of just having to be there and encourage others […] and just get people ready and more confident for when it’s their turn to be captain as well,” Spencer said.
