Despite the many challenges that arose due to the pandemic, Boston Latin School girls’ tennis team began its season with a bang. The team has dominated their division and remained undefeated well into the season.

The beginning of the season came with several setbacks, including the loss of the team’s traditional home courts at Harvard University. As Coach Paulanne Wilson puts it, “Any athlete can relate [to the] disappointment of not having home-court advantage. Even though we have Daly Field, consistency is the key.”

The lack of a home field certainly was, and still is, important to the team’s overall success and morale. Even though they may still be the home team in some matches, there is a different mentality as the team is not playing on the courts they are so used to.

The absence of buses also greatly impacted the team’s ability to commute to and from practices and games. Captain Sanjana Singh (I) explains, “We had to take public transportation to practices or cram ourselves into the back seats of parents’ or our coach’s cars.” 

Although the pandemic introduced new problems, some benefits have also come with this situation. Singh recalls, “[The outbreak] brought our team closer together because last season, tennis practice was one of the first times each of us were able to interact with more than just a couple friends at a time, due to quarantine.” Bonding among teammates is critical to the team’s overall success and synergy, especially with such great diversity of age on the team.

These strong connections have shone through the team’s matches. In spite of a few close losses, the team remains confident in their ability to come out on top of the Dual County League (DCL). In fact, just recently, the team won the Foley Division of the DCL.

The team could not have achieved these great accomplishments without the leadership of their coaches and captains. These leaders had to heavily adjust to the various delays and setbacks, while still radiating positivity and providing help for the team. Coach Wilson noted that the most important and constant element of her coaching was positive encouragement. Singh states that she aims “to be a binding force that makes the team a family by getting to know every person on the team.” Together, the coaches and captains share the idea that success is forebrought by a strong sense of community.

In tandem with these feats, the team also enjoys their great sense of chemistry. Singh explains, “This year I think the whole team is tighter knit than it has been any other year I’ve been on the team. Despite the team’s wide range in age, they were able to bond and become close friends. This is crucial because the spotlight will soon turn towards the younger players, who make up a large part of the team, as this year’s seniors graduate.”