By Ella Zinken
Like many schools, The University of Tampa displays a wide variety of sports teams for students to join. Some students are recruited to play top-level sports, and some just want a fun way to make friends and get exercise. For those students, there is club tennis!
UTampa features a co-ed club tennis team that participates in matches and tournaments across Florida, from Gainesville all the way down to Miami. The team is open to all UTampa students, and anyone can try out during their try-out sessions at the beginning of each semester.
Even if players don’t make the travel team, they can still come to home team practices on Fridays. These practices help improve everyone’s individual skills and help the team come together and learn how to play as a team.
Players who make the travel team participate in state-wide tournaments that allow UTampa to compete with bigger schools in the state of Florida and see how they measure up. The tournaments also let team members spend time with teammates and explore other parts of Florida.
Sophomore finance major Daniel Perobrazhensky joined the team his freshman year and said he immediately loved the environment and wanted to give back to the program. “I would describe this team as a family,” said Perobrazhensky.
“The goals of the team are to improve your abilities and to have the most fun possible,” said Perobrazhensky.
The team’s vice president, Ben Piech, has been playing tennis since he was 6 years old and has been a participant in the team since his freshman year as well.
Piech said that his personal goal is “to get just 1% better every day.”
Sophomore social media manager Megan Sinclaire joined the team at the end of her freshman year and said she regrets not joining sooner. “The team makes a fun environment for everyone and is good exercise,” said Sinclaire.
Sinclaire said that her favorite event put on by the team is the Spartan home tournament, which features open play for anyone to get involved, whether by playing or watching.
The Spartan home tournament raises money for the club tennis team. This event is fun for both the team and new players because it is a low-pressure environment that allows people to develop skills and see if they may be interested in tennis.
Sinclaire said she loves “being able to play with new people and bond with her teammates.”
Piech said that his favorite part of the tournament is “watching how everyone has improved in the smoothness of the strokes from everyone.” This tournament helps him to “appreciate the little moments.”
The Spartan home tournament takes place at the end of the second semester, which is usually the last time before the end of the semester, and everyone goes their separate ways.
Piech said, “This is a heartfelt goodbye to each other mixed with a lot of fun exercises.”
Anyone who comes out can get a free T-shirt and help support and meet the team.
Sinclaire is a communication media and culture major who runs the team’s Instagram page @tampaclubtennis. If anyone is interested in learning more about the team, reach out to her.
The team’s next tournament is next weekend at the University of Florida.
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Photo by Mariam Bernardini.