It is widely known among students and staff that Jefferson’s girls tennis is one of the most competitive teams. During the 2017-2018 season, there were 16 players on the team. There were originally only three spots available for new players on Jefferson’s 2018-19 girls tennis team – but 32 girls tried out. The students who attended knew just how much of a challenge it is to earn a spot on the team.

“I knew that tennis tryouts were going to be competitive, since I’ve been playing for the past year or so and heard some rumors about how difficult it is to make the team,” freshman Allison Seo said.

Despite the challenge, 32 students made their way to the tennis courts after school from Feb. 19 – 21 to test their tennis expertise. Although the tryouts attracted more students than the spots available, those who tried out found the atmosphere quite friendly.

“I expected the atmosphere to be more hostile or competitive, but it turned out to actually be fun,” Seo said.

The amiability of the practices contributed to a more enjoyable tryout experience. However, there was still competition during the matches.

“Of course, we all have a bit of that competitiveness inside that shows when we play — if we didn’t, we couldn’t have earned the spot on the team,” Seo said.

Happily, about 10 students secured a spot on the tennis team after tryouts, increasing the team’s size to 26. As there were only three spots open for new members at first, students who tried out were unsure whether or not they would be able to make it in.

“For the majority of the time during tryouts, I thought that I would be pretty close but not get in,” Seo said.

Whether or not one earned a spot did not negatively affect the student’s opinion of tryouts. Some felt that it was humbling, learning that they were not the best at everything. Others found that something will come out of the effort you put in, even if you are not playing well compared to others. Seo learned not to give up.

“Even if I may be losing, I should always keep trying and not give up until the very end because on one of my matches, I was losing 1-3, but I made a huge comeback and ended up winning 4-3,” Seo said.