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The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

Varsity Gold Tennis aces to train

Grace Kays, 12, was a first doubles player for the team. Even though her tennis career has come to an end, she still voluntarily participates in the morning condition. Along with the rest of her team, Kays is a dedicated athlete who has a lot of passion for the sport. Photo Courtesy of McDaniel’s Photography.
Grace Kays, 12, was a first doubles player for the team. Even though her tennis career has come to an end, she still voluntarily participates in the morning condition. Along with the rest of her team, Kays is a dedicated athlete who has a lot of passion for the sport. Photo Courtesy of McDaniel’s Photography.

It is still completely dark outside as members of the tennis program step inside the Gregory Center for morning conditioning. Morning conditioning is training that takes place during the tennis offseason.

“It can be really exhausting and tiring having to get up so early and workout, but I know in the end it will be worth it when we’re the team holding up the championship trophy,” said Jamie Pescovitz, 11.

This rigorous workout takes place every Tuesday and Thursday, from 6:00 AM until 6:30 AM. Many exercises include, pushups, sprints, and different drills focusing on footwork.

“A lot of people don’t see the point in going to conditioning but I think it can really help. It makes you fit and will really help prepare you for the upcoming season,” said Alexandra Abele, 10.

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Along with the morning conditioning, athletes also participate in a variety of activities to make them stronger for the months to come. Those activities include:

  • United States Tennis Association Tournaments
  • Club tennis clinics
  • Mile runs
  • Serving practice
  • Weight training

“Playing in tournaments help me build up my mental game. It forces me to think about what I am dealing and how to deal with certain situations,” said Margaret Skwara, 10.

With the mass amounts of training, the Girls Varsity Gold tennis players aim to become a stronger, powerful, and more intense team than ever before.

For more on Varsity Girls Gold tennis, click here.

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About the Contributor
Caroline Gao, Executive Editor-in-Chief
Hi! My name is Caroline Gao and I’m a senior here at Sycamore High School. This is my fourth year on staff. As a part of The Leaf, our national award-winning, student-run publication, I hold the position of Executive Editor-in-Chief. My duties include overseeing the production of all four of our platforms: print newsmagazine, online magazine, website, and broadcast department. I enjoy exploring multiple genres and thus have written a multitude of articles including feature, opinion, news, and sports.   I also take great pride in designing pages [Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator] and editing/shooting videos [Windows Movie Maker and Adobe Premiere]. I can’t wait for another amazing year with my fellow journalists!   More about myself:   I find volunteering to be extremely rewarding: I play piano as a volunteer musical therapist at Bethesda North Hospital and am the Treasurer for Sycamore’s National Honor Society, the largest organization at the high school. I am also a mentor for my school’s Fast Track tutoring program!   In addition to volunteering, I also captain Sycamore’s Varsity A tennis team, and in the offseason, play at a local club and in USTA tournaments. This past season, our team placed as State Runners-up in the OHSAA State Team Tournament! I also really enjoy music- especially the piano.   Quote to live by: “No one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe” - Harry Gray.  
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Varsity Gold Tennis aces to train