Season Prep 2024
Update from 2/15/24:
In order to feel more like one team, we are changing up the practice plan this year. For Varsity and JV, instead of switching practice times with the boys, we'll be switching sites with the boys and alternating practice times between varsity and JV. The plan isn't 100% final, but will probably look like this:
Weeks 1, 3, 5, ...:
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JV practices at SHS from 3:45 - 5:45
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Varsity practices at SHS from 5:45 - 7:45
Weeks 2, 4, 6, ...:
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Varsity practices at Ridges 3:45 - 5:45
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JV practices at Ridges 5:45 - 7:45
This will give us more interaction between those teams, more flexibility in coaching and more balance between windy and calm courts.
The Basics:
Make sure you start checking in on our main girls tennis page every week or so. We will keep that page up to date with things like:
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Important Announcements and Things to Know
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The first day of practice - where to go and when
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Pre-Season Coach / Parent / Player meeting date, time and location
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Links to register for tennis
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Links to submit your physical (once every two years)
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The match schedule
Notes from the Pre-Season Meeting:
Congratulations on selecting the BEST lifelong sport to play! We are excited to have you here.
Throughout the season, we'll communicate in several ways. Same-day/last-minute information will be sent via the Remind app. Non-rushed info (practice times, match schedule, other news) will be posted on the SHS Girls Tennis page on the sherwoodtennis.net website, here
Player and parents should definitely pay a lot of attention to that webpage as the season gets going. The school didn't get us fully set up on Remind for a few weeks, so the website was our #1 way to distribute all information. As mentioned, rain can really mess up a day of tennis. The last two years, the weather from 3-6pm was different than the rest of the day, resulting in a lot of last-minute changes. So, knowing to be on court at one school versus in the gym at a different school is critical.
One website for SHS Athletics is also very important prior to the season. Click Here The site contains links for:
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Registration for sports
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The form needed for submitting physical exams
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The athletic handbook that has all school policies related to grades, attendance, discipline, transportation...
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A bunch of other stuff
First up, 2024 Players need to do 2 things by Friday Feb 23:
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Register for girls tennis.** See the link in the section above
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Get a physical exam. Physicals are good for two years so if you did another sport or activity, you may have already done this. Physicals must be done on the OSAA physical form found at the link above. Turn in to Connie Pollock in the main office, cpollock@sherwood.k12.or.us.
Eligibility: Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0, be taking and passing 4 classes, plus passing their Homeroom class. Students must attend all of their classes to play or practice each day. Occasionally, students may miss a class for an excused appointment (doctor/dentist/etc), but they must turn in a note from their doctor to the attendance office or their coach.
For practice: Students should wear comfortable sports clothes that that have pockets or a place to hold a tennis ball. Skorts or shorts with pockets are great. Leggings with no pockets are strongly discouraged. Students need tennis shoes that have side to side support (not running shoes). Finally, students need a tennis racquet (see below for more) and an ample supply of water each day. (There is no water at the courts.) We have a few tennis racquets that we can loan out.
Racquets: Racquets tend to be priced at 3 tiers:
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Top-End: About $200 - $250
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Middle: About $70 - 100
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Low-End: About $35
We recommend against buying and using the low-end racquets. They definitely make playing more difficult and don't hold up well over time. If that is the only price range you can afford, talk to a coach about borrowing a racquet for the season instead. We have quite a few used top-end racquets that have been donated that will be a better option. The same goes for people who aren't sure they'll like tennis and don't want to invest up front. A second good trick for buying is to seek out used top-end racquets, which can frequently be found for about the price of a mid-range one. It may be a little scratched up, but the quality is definitely higher. Players Racquet Shop in Beaverton usually has used racquets for sale and can make recommendations. eBay also has a lot and coaches can probably help you look if you want.
Racquet Strings: People trying out for varsity - if you haven't done it in the last year, you should strongly consider getting their racquet restrung a few weeks before the season (so you can practice with it a little before tryouts). The cost is about $40 and will give you more control of your shots.
We expect to have 3 tennis teams this year as follows:
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Varsity: This team will focus on competition with other schools. Development will happen here just like anywhere, but competition against other schools is the focus. Practices will be at SHS tennis courts.
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JV: This team will focus on player improvement/varsity preparation as well as having lots of fun playing other schools. Practices will be at The Ridges courts..
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JV2: This team will have a lot of brand new players and will teach tennis fundamentals with practices being a fun blend of learning, games and competition. Practices will be at Hawk’s View tennis courts.
Tryout Information:
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Seniors (not counting exchange students): Seniors must try out for the varsity team. Per policy, seniors "must" play on varsity but can play on lower teams if they help fill up those teams. So, senior participation on other teams depends on the team size and we honestly won't know that until we get started. Making varsity is the only way to guarantee a spot on the team, but we have had some spots available in the past.
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Non-Seniors and Exchange Students: Students can decide which team they want to try out for. If you want to try for varsity or JV, go for it! We work hard to make the process fair and it's not unusual for someone to surprise us and earn a spot. But if you haven't played before, it's probably best to report to the JV2 site.
How are teams selected? For varsity, the coaches will observe the girls as they play some mini-matches during the first week. We will combine player results with player observations to select the girls on the varsity team. We are evaluating tennis skills, athleticism, attitude, potential, and sportsmanship and all will be factored in.
For the question of "What happens if I try for varsity or JV and don't make it?" Our goal is to find the right home for each player. If you try for varsity and don't make it, we'll probably assign you to the JV team. If you try for JV and aren't ready, we'll have you join the JV2 squad. It might also go the other way - if you are at a practice that is clearly below your level, we may have you try another site to see if that makes more sense.
First day:
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If you are a senior (non-exchange student) go to SHS for varsity tryouts
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Others who want to try out for the varsity team, go to SHS
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If you have never played before or are still very new to tennis, go to Hawks View with the JV2 team to get instruction on the basics
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Everyone else, head to the Ridges for JV tryouts.
Schedule:
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2/26/24: First practice starts (Times are TBD)
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3/15/24: Our first match
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5/18/24: End of regular season (it usually ends by 5/11)
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5/23-5/25: OSAA State Championship - This is a varsity only week for those players who qualify for the state tournament.
Practices: Practice times aren't finalized yet but typically:
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Varsity and JV practices will alternate times with the boys team. One week will be 3:45 - 5:45, the next will be 5:45 - 7:45.
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JV2 practice times will be about 4-6pm Monday through Friday.
We will use our tennis website to announce when changes are made to our schedule, like canceled matches or rainouts. Saturdays are considered playable dates, so we could have matches on Saturdays. We usually make weekend practices optional. We may offer optional practices for spring break for those girls who are in town and want to practice.
Fees:
The athletic participation fees are $250.00 and they need to be paid before the first match by 3/15/22. If your daughter is on free or reduced lunch, contact Connie Pollock (cpollock@sherwood.k12.or.us) about paying a reduced athletic fee or contact Katie Hartman, athletic director, if a scholarship is needed.
We are still trying to determine our fundraisers for the year. We may also ask for donations like other teams do. We will collect $50 at the beginning of the season to cover snacks at matches, senior gifts, coaches gifts, and miscellaneous expenses.
Girls Tennis Staff: We have three paid coaches, Autumn Bunch (varsity), Peter Wenceslao (JV) and Megan Kittel (JV2). We also have 3 amazing volunteer coaches: Todd Wilcox, Jason Upton and Jeroen Swanborn. At some point in the season, you may get coaching from any of the 6, so take a minute to get to know all of them.
Busses are usually provided for away matches. Players are expected to ride the bus to and from the matches, but some exceptions can be made. If parents need to drive their player to away matches, that can be arranged with their coach. If you want to drive other girls, you must till out a blue transportation form and return the form to their coach. Girls may drive themselves to away matches if they turn in a blue transportation form to their coach.
Lettering and Evaluations: Girls who play in two varsity matches will earn a varsity letter. All girls will have an opportunity at the end of the season to evaluate the coaches and our tennis program.
Uniforms/Apparel: We are planning to just have uniform tops this year, having players provide their own bottoms (skorts or shorts). The team will recommend an affordable option for skorts. If a bottom is needed, we have some uniforms from prior years that players can use.
Autumn Bunch
Sherwood HS Girls Varsity Tennis Coach
(503) 933-6094