“They’re very dedicated. They practice every day and their level of commitment is there,” Miami Palmetto Senior High tennis coach Kelly Gibson said. “They want to win.”
For the past eight years, girls’ varsity tennis team has won the Greater Miami Athletic Conference.
“[From my] freshman year through senior year, we have not lost GMAC once, at least on the girls side,” senior and girls’ tennis captain Madeleine Chellas said.
Even with the individualism that comes with tennis, a shared goal has pushed the team together: the goal of making it to the state championship.
“[Last year] we came just short, because our number one [player] tore her ACL during those finals, and so everybody had to move up in the lineup, and we still got to the state semifinals. We almost had the championship, and the year before that, we did win the championship. So the idea last year was to go back to back, and we came short because of an injury, which is out of our control,” Chellas said. “But this year, everything’s in our control, so we can do our very best to get that championship again.”
To Gibson, the bond between a team is one of the most important assets for them to have.
“I love the sport, well number one because I played it and won the state championship myself. Some of my best friends today are still my high school tennis players, including the head director of tennis at the University of Miami,” Gibson said. “The bonds that you form in high school can still stay strong.”
Besides the shared goal of winning states, the team is also brought together because it spans the entire community. The tennis team not only includes players from the school, but also integrates homeschoolers into their roster.
“A lot of these homeschool girls, before they join the team, already know us, so the community is already tight knit before the season even starts. We make sure to practice not only together as a team from the school, but a lot outside of school together,” Chellas said. “And then when the season starts, we only get closer.”
This strong sense of community within the team does not just stay within the practice courts, but it is evident during tournaments as well.
“The team works together during tournaments in the way that we support each other in everything. We all are like a family in that if someone needs sunscreen or water or snacks, we got each other,” freshman Sofia Bueno said.
With the season now in full swing and the GMAC win under their belt, the team’s eyes remain fixed on the prize — redemption, and another shot at the state title. This common goal has fueled every drill, every match and every early morning workout. As they head into the final stretch of the season, the players know it is not just skill that will take them to the top, but the unity they have built along the way.
“I just think we’re an incredibly close knit community, and that we have what it takes to go all the way this year. That’s my hope as a senior,” Chellas said.
