On February 26, our Rio Hondo Women’s Tennis team faced multiple matches against Fullerton College. They started the matches playing doubles for the first hour and then moved on to single player matches. Rio Hondo came out with a win of 5-4. Congratulations ladies, you did great out there!
Coach Karen Unger has been coaching Tennis for 25 years. Although she’s been at tennis for quite some time, that wasn’t always her dream. She had first started with a business degree and dabbling in marketing sales. Eventually she got into tennis and went back to school to get her Masters in Kinesiology.
Ever considered joining the tennis team? When it comes to recruitment, Coach Unger, likes to go visit high schools during the fall time to recruit. Generally, an average number of players on the team are 7-8 players a season at Rio. “I don’t really like having many players, ” says Coach Unger. She also likes to post flyers so that students who attend Rio are aware that we have a tennis team.
When it comes to the girls performance and development Coach Unger talks about wanting the girls to just improve for better on whatever level they’re currently performing at. “I just want them to give it their all when they’re out there. Whether the school is tough or easy, one never goes in there thinking you won’t win. Don’t give up,” advises Coach Unger.
Teamwork makes the dream work. Tennis players Bethany Rosas and Princess Arevalo have been playing tennis for quite some time now. “I’ve been playing for about 5 years,” says Rosas.
“I started playing at the age of 15 but took a break and came back to play in college, about 3 years,” says Arevalo.
To someone, they might question why they chose tennis. It seems as though one just runs back and forth to hit the ball over the net. To Bethany Rosas it was an opportunity to try out something new and to stay active, only to find out she loved it. To Princess Arevalo, it was her friend asking her to join in high school with her to find out she loved it as well.
Both Bethany and Princess break down the ways they most like to play and what they focus on when it comes to training for better on-court movements. “We both prefer to play doubles,” says Rosas and Arevalo. When it comes to which position they feel more comfortable with, Rosas doesn’t have a preference. Although, being close to the net because she likes getting the end point. Arevalo, overall, feels comfortable with playing close to the net. Now, when it comes to hand work Bethany likes playing with the backhand as Princess likes to play with the forehand.
Everyone knows that in order to be good at a sport, one has to practice. Some exercises that the players do to better on-court movements are long suicides. Long suicides in sports typically means sprinting from one end of the court or field to the other. Another exercise they do is a quick feet drill.
If you’re worried about not being able to focus on your classes because you have practice or a game, never fear Coach Unger, breaks down how she supports her athletes academically. “They usually are required to have at least 3 hours of study. I usually like to check in on them and see how their classes are going. If they need help with a subject, I like to be able to help connect them with a tutor,” explains Coach Unger. So, if you’re considering joining tennis or any sports at Rio, they have your back in and outside the court or field.
