One Season, No Regrets

Usually in high school, the sport you play is one you’ve stuck with for a while, years of dedication going into your craft. You know the game well, and by senior year, you’re confident in your ability. In a way, it becomes part of you. For Andrew Bahner, that wasn’t the case.

After three years of not playing a spring sport, he was on the brink of doing the same during his senior year. However, with some extra encouragement from members of the team, he decided to show up to tryouts. That decision, in his words, was “the best decision I’ve made at O’Dea High School.”

The beginning of the season was a lot of catching up for Andrew. Other senior teammates, such as team captains Joseph Stair and Phineas Peterson, already had three years of experience under their belts, and being a first year means he had to prove himself to the coach as well as his teammates.

“I was surprised by how much I needed to learn from simple things like scoring to overall game IQ. I was clearly behind, but this didn’t discourage me, in fact, it made me work harder” Bahner said.

It didn’t take long for him to find his rhythm. After just a few weeks of practice, Andrew found himself in the varsity lineup. For a first-year player, that’s more than impressive.

“It was electric. Such a great experience where you could truly see the heart being used on the court,” Bahner said.

By the end of the season, Andrew looks back and thanks his past self for playing tennis. His skills progressed at an incredible rate, and he was able to compete in some very competitive matches. But he gained much more than just tennis ability, he built relationships with his teammates, developed confidence on and off the court, and found a sense of pride

in his hard work.