The weather is getting warmer, the birds are chirping, and the yellow balls are once again being hit from one side of the court to the other. It is the start of the tennis season for some of Lane Tech’s athletes. There may be other sports such as baseball and lacrosse going on, yet these teens couldn’t wait until winter had rolled over in order to continue doing what they love.

“The thing that made me want to continue tennis in high school was the amount of effort I had put into the sport,” Dario Ciaciura, Div. 956, said.

Effort is not the only thing you need to put into the sport, but also determination. Due to the coldness of winter, players are not able to use the courts found at local parks.

“For the guys, it’s a spring sport. Coming out of the winter season, you really have to be playing in clubs,” Sasha Salk, Div. 674, said.

Winter is one of the obstacles every tennis player faces, but Lane’s team, has to tackle on another issue as well this year. For the past couple of years, the varsity tennis team has usually been made up of older athletes. Last year, the varsity team was made up of 10 players. With seven seniors leaving and only two returning players, one being a senior, the team took quite a dip in its age.

“I am a bit skeptical with Lane’s performance this year in tennis. The fact that we lost seven seniors last year really puts us at a huge disadvantage,” Ciaciura said.

Lane’s team has a handful of freshmen and sophomores, a gap in juniors, and only one senior. But according to one player — John Carlos Estrada, Div. 969 — having a young team will be an advantage in the years to come.

“We can play all four years together and play as a team,” Estrada said. “That way the team chemistry builds up and we can play like a family.”

Not only does tennis help bring a team together, but it also is a way to bring their families together to have a good time. Many of the players had been introduced to the sport through family outings and having a regular day in the courts together.

“Yeah, my whole family plays tennis. My uncle plays tennis, my dad plays tennis, my mom and sister play tennis,” Salk said. “So it is a lot of fun playing with them.”

All the practice associated with the players and their families has contributed to their past success at Lane. Lane’s team has been keeping their reputation high throughout the years with five city championships, three sectional championships, having been awarded Top 32 players and earning All State Honors each year in the past three years. Last year, there were recognizable players such as Yahn Gawrit, who was able to compete at State for 1st singles, obtaining a 3-2 record. Yet, last season differs from this season in plenty of ways.

“The team had a good last couple of years,”  said Athletic Director Mr. Brian Hofman. “A big reason for that was because of Yahn Gawrit, who graduated last year. So, unfortunately, we are probably going to have a little bit of a younger team this year. But I think we are going to do well.”

Although this season may be the youngest tennis team Lane has ever had, Hofman is optimistic.

“[The freshmen] get to play varsity level tennis for four years, probably, so by the time they are seniors, you would think that they would gain a lot of experience and become really good tennis players,”  Hofman said.

With the experience the athletes are obtaining, they are also gaining a new coach who previously coached at Northside College Prep. Mr. Scot Reinhart comes with enthusiasm and new techniques the players are planning to incorporate in their playing time.

“I really like him — he is a really good coach. I am surprised that he is not a professional coach,” Estrada said. “He inspires us to be better players.”

Not only does the new coach have knowledge on running a team, he also knows how to build high expectations for the athletes he plans on coaching.

“The new coach is a really nice guy, and from what I’ve seen, really cares about our team and my success as a player,” said Gordon Greenberg, Div. 961.

The coach not only is a charismatic guy, but also has a longer history in tennis than one might think. Other than his career in graphic design for advertisements, he has coached at Northside as a head coach for their JV team and assisted the Varsity team.

“I kinda started out like these guys, I started playing in high school with my dad mostly and then I joined the high school team,” Reinhart said. “I started out low and worked my way high to varsity first doubles which is pretty good.”

When talking of “working his way up” in rankings during his high school years, he also mentioned that the team should take a similar approach and start paving their roads to success now in order to secure a city championship in the future.

“I see a lot of potential for the future — it is a very young team,” Reinhart said. “So this year, it’s going to be a building year. From here they will be able to really compete and our goal is to try to get a city championship in [at least] two years.”

This may be seen as a challenge in a tennis coach’s eyes, having your varsity team consist mostly of freshmen; yet, Reinhart sees only joy in this view.

“I think it is a really good thing because we are molding them to be better players early on. I am looking forward to it,” Reinhart said.

The future for the Lane tennis team starts to unwind with the era of this new team. Although the team has obstacles — from a lack of experience to adapting to a new coach — they continue to hold on to their rackets and work their way through the season.