This summer, a Facebook post was released inviting any students attending Carterville High School to participate in a tennis camp from six to eight p.m. at the John A Logan tennis courts. Sure enough, several CHS students arrived on the scene and would continue to do so throughout the summer. Currently, Coaches Steve Williams and Daphne Johnson instruct a group of eager girls with skill levels ranging from IHSA State players to those having never before touched a racquet.
The creation of the tennis team came from junior Katya Chyzhyk, who said, “I was inspired to create the team for Kara Moore and I. We have both been playing for a long time and put a lot of effort into training, and I didn’t want it to be completely wasted if Carterville didn’t have a team. I had the opportunity to play independently at Sectionals and State, which I am very grateful for, and I hoped to extend that opportunity to other girls at school as well. I’m very grateful that we both can play together on a team and that the school believes in us enough for that to happen!”
Chzyhyk’s determination to create the team paid off, and several other students were able to benefit from it, as well. Sophomore Jovie Erwin was among the players who were new to tennis before the start of the season. Although she was not at first confident in her ability to play tennis, she now believes, “It’s a really good environment to be in. Even though I’m not on varsity, I feel like I’ve improved so much. I’m just really grateful to be here.”
Junior Melinda Huang has similar feelings about the new team. Huang had played varsity tennis in Carbondale before joining the new Carterville High School team, so she was enthusiastic from the start. She explained her initial reaction to the opportunity by saying, “I was, like, ‘Yes! Of course!’ I love tennis.” She was not disappointed by the rest of the new players, claiming, “I like it a lot right now. I feel like the team gets along really well.”
Establishing a new team is no small feat, but as the season continues, the players are ready to work hard in order to prove themselves. Already having experienced victories against several local schools including Centralia, Mt Vernon, and even Carbondale, they are looking forward to a fun and victorious year. As Williams said, “[My] goals for this season are to have more wins than losses.”
It will take some time, but these twenty-one girls are learning and improving quickly and will not stop until they succeed!
