The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

The independent student media site of West Linn High School

wlhsNOW

Tennis team looks to rebuild in highly skilled league

Team captains Craig Wright and Andre To, seniors, hope to make the season successful with added talent. The team has eight returning varsity players and six new faces, many with not a whole lot of experience. Saying players, talent and season expectations have changed is an understatement.

The Lions lost Jonathan Macemon, Ty Clarke, Evrick Jenkins, Ian Risenhoover along with other seniors from last season but hope to remain competitive in a highly skilled Three Rivers League.

“We lost seven seniors; we’re young and need to develop because the league is so good,” To said.

Last year, Russell Risenhoover, sophomore, finished third in state in the doubles category playing with his brother Ian Risenhoover, who graduated last year. Wright also competed in state, but lost in the third set tiebreaker to the number two seed in the state with doubles partner Macemon.

Despite all of the new faces, one remains the same. Varsity head coach Ward Lewis was honored with the National Federation of High Schools Oregon State Coach-of-the-Year, and has been coaching tennis at West Linn for more than 30 years.

With all of the new and returning faces on the team, it can be difficult to mesh with new partners.

“We have forgotten what we learned over the time being together. We have to re-drill and fix our mistakes in the game. The geometry and physics are all messed up,” Lewis, said.

Despite losing seniors, the team is confident and ready for whatever is its their way.

“We have a good lineup and we’ll be one of the top teams in the district,” To said.

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Walker McCrae, Staff Reporter
Before Walker McCrae, senior, realized his dream of becoming a sports manager, he was faced with one task, one court and one orange leather ball. “Walker! Get on the bench!” belched his eighth grade basketball coach, distinguishable by his lopsided scowl and aggravated temper. Now staring back down to the ball, McCrae watched as the grips slipped from his fingers and the ball hit the court with a bounce and a resounding thud. Another game, another bench, another hour and a half watching the ball pass from player to player while he sat on the sidelines. Yet this time, as he took his seat, he reached a sudden epiphany. “I realized that I sucked at sports,” McCrae said, “So, logically, I became interested in sports management.” Today, instead of framing his daily life around school sports, McCrae punches his alarm at 7:15 a.m., parks his red Honda Pilot in spot 86 by 8 a.m. and, after the day ends, pulls into his driveway after fighting 20 minutes of after-school traffic. McCrae still incorporates Intramurals Basketball and tennis into his schedule during winter and spring, yet he is more invested in sports management than any other athletic interest. “Last year, I was the editor for the Athletics section, and I still contribute a large amount of articles to Athletics,” McCrae said. “My love of journalism has fed into my desire to manage a sports team by boosting my knowledge of sports culture. It has also made me respect the media immensely, as I am well aware how difficult it is to be a journalist.” McCrae hopes to pursue financial/economic studies at his school of choice-- Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University. Once accepted to Barrett or another college with a Business program, McCrae plans to take every opportunity available, such as job shadowing and internships, to climb the management ladder. “Sports Management is a rigorous, competitive pursuit,” McCrae said, “but I’m super excited. I really have to bring it, not only in the classroom but also when I’m building connections with people. That’s what’ll make the difference.” For now, McCrae can be seen in the halls with a few friends, laughing at inside jokes while watching play-by-plays on his phone. “All of my friends want to be biologists, statisticians, mathematicians,” McCrae said. “I’m one of the few people I know who wants to go into my field. That doesn’t mean other kids aren’t interested in it nationwide, so like I said, I’ll still have to bring it.”  
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Tennis team looks to rebuild in highly skilled league