The Pinole Valley girls tennis season has come to a close after a very successful season. The team came in third place overall, and number one singles player Madi Goff won the TCAL championship.

Soon it will time for the boys’ season to start. They, too, will be looking forward to a great season. If anyone is thinking about playing tennis, everyone is welcome to try out. Both teams are always looking for new players to be a part of the team.

The Pinole Valley tennis team originated in 1972 and is still going strong! Did you know that Mr. Bedwell started the team when he was in high school? With girls playing in the fall and boys playing in the spring, the team is always working their way toward TCAL and maybe even NCS. With the help of a great coach, the Pinole Valley tennis team continues to get better and better!

Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). In a match, four singles players play as well as three doubles teams. Whichever team has the most victories out of those matches, wins the entire match.

At the end of every season, the coach chooses six players to go to TCAL. Two singles players and four doubles players. This is where everyone keeps playing until they lose to try to win the championship for our school’s division.

Who’s the coach? Coach Kurt Hayworth has been playing tennis since he was 17. He was undefeated at nationals three times in a row. But he didn’t start coaching until two years ago when he heard about the need for a new coach. “I like seeing the team get better and compete well,” said Coach Kurt.

Why play tennis? “I started playing tennis so my college applications look good” is what Cynthia Fong said. Colleges don’t just look at your GPA and test scores. They also look at the extracurricular activities. Colleges care about the people they admit; therefore, what you do after school and during weekends tells them a lot about the kind of person you are. This shows colleges that you are able to communicate well with others, manage time well, and can follow through with commitments.

“I wanted to play tennis so I would have something to do in my spare time and it turned out to be really fun,” said Yvette Bennett. Playing tennis is a great way to stay active while having fun.

But what if I’ve never played tennis before? It doesn’t matter! Both the girls and boys teams are filled with players from all different levels. “When I first started playing, I had no idea what I was doing, but with the help of a supportive team and a great coach I learned quickly,” said Tara Kelly.