Having been lifelong athletes, Connor Cull and Caden Hughes have decided on a new sports venture for their senior year: tennis

Previously, the seniors have had track as their spring sport of choice, with Cull playing soccer and indoor track earlier each year. But in their graduating year, both decided to try tennis for a change. As for why they had a change of heart, they both came to the consensus that the new sport would be a lot of fun to play.

“Tennis caught my eye” noted Cull, once deciding on a spring sport to play. Hughes agreed, adding that the lack of a finished track in the second semester helped them make the decision to switch sports. While unsure if a home track would’ve changed their minds, it is safe to say that they find the sport equally as enjoyable. 

Upon going into tennis, the two were not very experienced. “We were not prepared at all,” stated Hughes, noting that his only prior experience was playing with his brother, and interestingly, gym class. Cull had the same lack of experience before the season started; however he did participate in a tennis clinic recommended by the coach, Christopher Sutton.

As for the current season, they have been learning a lot. After a while, the similarities have cropped up between tennis and their previous sports. Cull recalled that tennis is “similar to soccer in the team aspect,” especially playing in doubles, where duos have to communicate and work together frequently. Both athletes add that track lacks that aspect of teamwork, as it is a much larger team, while this year’s team only consists of eleven players. Because of how small the team is, everybody on it is much closer to each other, creating more of a bond with each other than a lot of other sports. “It feels more like a team than track,” said Cull, “there are friends within the team, but this is more of a team and everyone’s close.”

As the season continues, they hope to make good friends out of the team, and ultimately win the NVL Championship by the end of the year.

As seniors, joining a sport for the first time and experiencing a new team reminds both athletes of their time as freshmen, making new connections and trying new things. They feel this nostalgia is good, however, since they are trying new activities even in their final year of high school. Cull noticed the parallels, noting that “[freshman year] I came into two new sports, two new teams, and now it’s happening again senior year.”