Photo curtesy of @s0n_adam on Instagram
As the tennis season comes to a close, excitement that was building up for the district championships has been fulfilled. This is the time when all the hard work and practice that the tennis teams around Salem have put in throughout the season will be put to the test.
Districts this year were at Salem Tennis and Swim and was a two day event starting May 8th where schools in the Salem area contested in a bracket-style competition. The coaches came together and decided on the bracket for the top 1-4 player seeds. The players consisted of the top 12 for everyone on Varsity for singles and doubles.
“After that, it’s a random draw of schools to choose who fills in each spot” Coach James Heyen said.
“You have to win semis to qualify for state, aka, win two matches.” Team captain Lucas Westfall said.
South, West, Sprauge, and Mcnary were the main teams contending this year. With 17 boys playing singles and 16 pairs playing doubles. Players play first to 6 and have to win 2 sets to advance.
Adam Son, the boy’s singles #1 player for South, Won Districts this year and did not lose a single set. He and the other top 4 players have qualified and will be playing in the state competition this year.
“Feels great honestly, I remember last year I didn’t perform so well at districts and my friend Chris won first for our school last year, and I wanted to properly follow in his footsteps, and I managed to do that. During the match I knew that my aggressive game would work if it was on. And unfortunately my friend who I played in the semi finals, it just wasn’t working for him, but I knew it was the right thing to do, just playing as aggressively as possible.” Adam said.
The other top four players are all juniors who have another year of high school to play in districts, Adam however is a senior who is graduating June 9th.
“I’m planning to go to Willamette to study political science. I do like the idea of going to law school, but I haven’t 100% decided. When it comes to tennis, I’ve already communicated with the coaches at Willamette about hitting with the team over the summer. Going D1 would be cool but I still don’t know how much I want tennis to be in my life, cause D1 it would be all of my life. Even then it would be close, I would have to work very hard and barley make it to D1.” Adam said.
Challenges are common for players to face in the midst of an intense competition. Understanding and overcoming them is what can set apart those who win and those who lose.
“My biggest challenge has always been my nerves, last year I went through a slump, I felt like I was too afraid to put myself out there and try my best. Thats why I never had confidence in my game, but this year I decided to do my best and that’s what worked for me.” Adam said.
