Tennis is a sport one of the sports at Northlake anyone can participate in. There are no cuts as the organization has a no cut policy. If one is interested, all they have to do is show up.

The tennis team plans to have practice everyday after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Currently there are 17 girls, but only 2 boys as majority of the male players were seniors the last couple of years.

Chris Riso is in charge of the tennis organization at Northlake, coaching and encouraging the players. He expects his players to enjoy themselves and play with a Christ-like attitude.

“What we expect out of the players is for them to have fun, to show good sportsmanship. We are a sport without referees or officials on court and many bad calls or perceived bad calls will be made by an opponent. When this happens I want our players to all remember that they play for Northlake Christian and as such to act with a Christian attitude on the court,” Coach Riso said. “We were told by multiple teams last year that we were the nicest group of athletes they have come across and for each player regardless of skill level to improve over the course of the season.”

As a team, every year each of the players works to improve their game. The tennis team focuses on the development of oneself rather than the end results of the game.

“We want all to improve their game and have fun doing so. It’s not so much about winning or losing as we compete against much larger schools with many of them placing athletes on the court that play tennis year round. Being part of a team and having fun while improving and learning a skill that the can use for life is what we are trying to accomplish,” Riso said.

Tennis does not receive as much recognition as many sports, but is one that lasts long term in a player’s life.

“Where I play at Francos, I see people in their 60s and 70s playing tennis daily. Some just for fun and others playing adult league USTA sanctioned matches. I doubt many athletes will be playing soccer or baseball at that age or even after graduating high school or college,” Riso explains. “Tennis however is a sport for life, and we are happy to introduce it to a new batch of students each year.”

Matches are scheduled for Thursdays or Fridays, and began early February.