by KAREN STEELE
This April has been a busy month for the Pioneer Tennis team, with the record having four matches in a four school-day long week. Despite this, the teams have prepared over the last two months of conditioning and are getting their swings back into shape. With the guidance of Biology-and-Art teacher Michelle Snyder and former player Danny Sanchez as their coaches, the singles and doubles teams are armed and ready to ace their biggest competitors.
Each individual team (be it one person or a team of two) has their own rival, someone from another school who they’ve played against for years and whose skill has always matched their own. Sometimes the rivalries are inside of Mac Hi’s home courts, like Rigo Ponce, a senior, and Deazen Zerba. Zerba is Coach Sanchez’s stepson and a sophomore, and the two of them are constantly fighting to stay in the number-one singles’ slot. Although Ponce is armed to the teeth with years of experience, Zerba slaved away all summer at the country club practicing his serve.
Among the other ace seniors is Elise Griffith, one of the most dedicated athletes on the team, participating in cross country and track. Griffith practices hard every day to trump Umatilla’s number-one singles player, Sidney Webb.
According to some other people (*coughcough* Lieuallen *winkwink*), tennis is not a “real” sport, but many disagree, including players on this state-winning team. Among these believers is Sandra Pereyda, a senior at McLoughlin and a third-year tennis player. She believes that tennis can be a great stress reliever. “I love tennis,” states Pereyda. “I especially love it when you almost hit the other opponent with the ball, although not too hard.” She continued, “I love Snyder as a coach. She’s amazing, she’s understandable, and I think that she’s one of the best people in the school.” As not to be exclusive, Sandra added, “Coach Danny is pretty rad as well. He can be scary, but a good scary.”
The team has been busy, traveling everywhere from Stanfield to Umatilla, or just a hop-skip and a jump to the brand new College Place High School, where the Pioneers performed wonderfully and patiently against the brand-new team. Next year, College Place’s coach promised their players will have more experience and be more prepared after getting their first taste of playing against another team.
Snyder, who started on as an assistant coach in 1998, is excited and looking forward to the results of this year’s tennis season.
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