Have you ever wanted to defeat your history teacher on the tennis court?
The Memorial tennis team will have a chance to do just that at the Memorial Smash faculty-student tournament Tuesday. The event will start at 3:3o p.m. with recognition of the team’s seniors with the matches starting shortly after.
The idea to bring the tournament to Memorial was first started by the booster club.
“It was a tradition that they did at Old High, and our booster club president had mentioned that and thought it would be a fun thing to start here at Memorial,” tennis coach Kim Walding said. “And so we got it together and our kids started asking a faculty member, and they were excited about it.”
Each player selected a faculty member to team up with for doubles against another pair. Walding helped organize the event, and broke down how the tournament will play out.
“There’s 20-something teams, so some people will get a first-round game,” Walding said. “It’s single elimination, you play a match against one other opponent. We’ll have some teams that have a bye because we’re a large group. So we’ll have about eight teams that have a bye, and the rest of them will kind of play to get a chance to keep going on.”
Among the participating faculty is soccer coach Robert Woodard, who is a veteran of the competition, having played in the previous tournaments at Old High, but outside of this is inexperienced with the sport.
“I was interim head tennis coach at Old High for a semester, and that’s about as much tennis as I know,” Woodard said. “But I enjoy getting out there, playing and stuff. I think it’s great for the kids, and I think it’s all great for the staff because you get to know people and meet people outside of the serious classroom setting.”
While some staff don’t worry too much about the competition, others have brushed up on their tennis skills in preparation. Some were out on the courts practicing Monday.
“I’ve seen a few faculty members have come outside and hit with each other or hit with someone or with their partner a little bit,” Walding said.
Woodard is among those who have been taking it easy prior to the game, but is excited for the chance to play.
“I haven’t practiced,” Woodard said. “I’m just going to get out there and start swinging the racket. I enjoy just getting out there and playing, getting exercise, and getting out of my comfort zone, because tennis is not my sport, but I enjoy getting out there and playing.”
If inclement weather causes rescheduling, the tournament will be Monday, May 5 instead.
THE TEAMS
