The girls’ and boys’ tennis teams, only a week away from the start of the season on February 10th, have been working hard in preseason. Both teams have a new coach this year: Mr. Purkiss is coaching the boys, and Mrs. Bradley is coaching the girls. Mr. Purkiss has been leading the preseason practices, which has allowed the boys and girls to play matches with each other and further improve their skills as they head into their season.
Before the first semester of school ended, a poster was put up around school to advertise the teams and gain interest. Preseason began promptly when the second semester started, with the goal to, “…establish a pretty consistent and strong practice routine for everybody…and get everybody to a point as quickly as possible to where they can play a match and have fun playing in that match. I am one of those coaches who want you all to have fun,” said Mr. Purkiss.
Preseason has run almost every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-4:30 but will be every day of the week once the season starts. Players have been learning the essentials like forehand, backhand, volley, served, and more. They start with warmups on the court like running, then transition into a hitting warmup. Mr. Purkiss said, “I’ll know a lot more after our first match,” regarding coming up with a consistent routine for practicing, especially once the season starts and Mrs. Bradley joins in.
Mr. Purkiss has played tennis on and off since he was 11, but has become consistent in the past 8 years, and coached children and adults at a local tennis center. When he first came to Sahuaro last year, Mr. Lawwill talked to him about taking over. He was unsure at first but he said, “You know what really made me decide to do it…I met some of the players.” Mr. Purkiss saw how excited they were about tennis, and they essentially convinced him to be their new coach.
The boys’ team is still looking for players to fill out their roster. The regular season is starting soon, but it’s not too late to talk to Mr. Purkiss and come to preseason. Their goal is to have 6 varsity players. He said, “If you know any boys that want to try and play tennis, please send them my way.”
The girls are looking to have a full roster, and Mrs. Bradley is finding ways to rotate the girls and give them fair playing time. A majority of the girls’ matches are at home, so if you’re looking for a fun sport to watch at Sahuaro, check out the tennis teams.
