South’s Boy’s Tennis Team

Central Bucks South’s Boys Tennis team is one of the most underrepresented teams at school. It does not draw massive crowds nor attract buzz from students about its games, yet it definitely should. These team members play a fantastic game with a great record and a sense of camaraderie that is difficult to find elsewhere. And in the spring of 2016, they are looking to use their momentum from the prior season to really succeed.

Last spring, the team did very well, only losing one of the final rounds of the tournament at the end of the year. According to varsity team member Rohit Sinha, the team’s play was “top notch!”

In addition to the success of the singles team, the doubles teams also did very well. According to Richard Song, a junior who plays varsity, his team was “largely undefeated.”

The team’s score is calculated using the number of wins against the number of losses. “Every point counts,” said junior Josh Murr, a member of the team. “The outcome of even a low ranking player’s match could mean the difference between a win and a loss.” And the doubles teams do win a lot.

However, they do not attribute their success to individual players or themselves, but rather, they dedicate their success to their coach. “We are coached by one of the greatest people of all time, Mrs. Mary Cardy,” said Richard Song.

One of the most impressive things about her, Richard said, is that she was able to overcome childhood injuries and become a prominent tennis player in the Women’s Tennis Association.

Because of the amazing coaching abilities and prior success, the team is very optimistic about the upcoming 2016 spring season. Josh, a varsity player, said that the current team looked very promising due to the substantial work that they put in to practice and to prepare.

“Currently, I am taking lessons at the Doylestown Tennis Club in preparation for the upcoming season. I am also participating in a junior tournament,” he said.

For practice, Josh plays at his local tennis club and trains at the gym. In addition to his personal preparations, all members of the tennis team must partake in the workout routine prescribed by Coach Cardy. “Our coach gave us a prescribed workout routine for 5 days a week—50 pushups, 10 pullups, 20 bicep curls, 90 second plank, 10 minute jog around the school, high knees and butt kicks, and after that, we would start practicing tennis drills. This lasted about an hour per day. After the workout, everything became more individualized, and you practiced what you felt that you needed to,” said Richard.

Despite the players’ participation in rigorous scheduling and practice, team members can only say good things about the tennis team itself. Members share a sense of fraternity among each other. “Being on a team is a great experience because you learn to rely on other people to secure a win,” said Josh.

The practice, games, memories, and love of the game bring team members together. The minor events to look back upon create some of the best memories of the season, even if they don’t relate to tennis, according to Joshua Murr. He gave an example of the times when “it was pouring out and we all huddled into a shed and waited until it cleared up, or when Richard ordered a pizza halfway through practice”

“My favorite moment was when I hit all of the tennis balls into the track and field practice,” Richard recalled. Several other tennis team members nodded their heads in agreement, recalling the event. Memories like these led to the strong bond that holds the team together now.

To put it succinctly, “the word team has no I in it,” said Richard.

Tennis skill is also a large focus of the boy’s tennis team.

According to Josh, tennis is a very technical sport. “A good tennis player will be skillful in terms of physical ability, but will also be skilled in knowing where exactly to place the ball in order to secure the point.”

To be a part of the team, he said, “[A person] would need to be dedicated to the sport and would need to have plenty of skill. The only way to build this skill is through practice.”

Regardless of this, even for those not on the team, Richard argues that “tennis is an opportunity to meet new people, and strive to be the best that you can be.” He believes that for tennis, “there’s always something to take away—there is always something to do.”