Whether it be from giving motivational speeches or critiquing a player’s form, every player relies on his or her coach to steer them in the right direction and help prepare them for the big win. Even though tennis may sound like an easy, breezy sport, tennis is actually a sport that requires hard work, dedication and motivation – the coach being the key of a successful team. Tennis coach Cory Parsons is one of those coaches who pushes his team toward victory.

Parsons has been the only tennis coach for two years, using that time to make the team his own. He does his best to keep each player up to speed with each other, while still allowing them to entertain their other school activities and hobbies. Having many players in band and after school clubs, Parsons is very generous in his practices.

“I do have to say Coach is very lenient with the people involved in other school activities,” senior Brandon Day said. “There are a bunch of people involved with tennis and in band and Coach understands we have private lessons and after-school practices.”

Seeing his team improve each week and having the players prove their dedication and push themselves more and more, Parsons knows he can trust every player to stay on top of their game even while juggling other activities.

“The team has been showing improvement each week,” Parsons said. “Every team member has learned to push themselves past their comfort zone and have began to show more dedication, as a result, better conditioning and skill development. We, as a team, have faced great competition so far this year and have learned to compete in the face of adversity.”

Even though Parsons played some tennis in high school, he mainly played the sport for recreation. So with each passing year as the tennis coach, he takes every opportunity he can to improve himself as a leader. By pushing his players to grow as a team, he is also striving to further advance his abilities to help the team reach success.

“When the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to coach,” Parsons said. “And as a leader, one of my goals is to continue to grow as a coach and to be a great coach of fundamentals.”

While trying to improve himself and the team as a whole, Parsons tries to keep each player motivation and focused on the game at hand, his major goal being to have three players advance pass district. He does his best to keep all the players in line, telling them that if they work hard enough they will earn every win they achieve.

“Our major goal is to have at least three team members past the District Tournament,” Parsons said. “If the team practices hard and prepares to win, they deserve to win.”