MARYSVILLE Marysville junior tennis coach Arnie Moreno has been leading tennis camps here for more than 10 years, but he started a co-ed youth team last summer to give local players a competitive edge.
I come from a region where Im varsity tennis coach for the boys and girls team at Shorewood High School. Shorewood has a tradition of turning out great players, Moreno said. Its because of junior teams in the summer that provide kids the opportunity to work on their skills and work on their skills under competitive set-ups.
You can take all kinds of lessons, you can take all kinds of skills, but if you dont put yourself in a situation where you can use your skills, you dont have the same chance to make a varsity team, he said.
But Moreno is the first to admit that not every athlete on his team joins to make his local varsity squad. With kids ranging in age from about 10 to 17, many have not had competitive experience. Others are high school athletes playing to keep in shape and keep their skills sharp.
The season runs just over a month. Practice began June 26 and competition wraps up Aug. 8 at Harbor Square in Edmonds.
Part of the reward for Moreno is watching his athletes develop as players. With such a range in age on his team, there are some surprises. One such is Sarah Tuemmler, a 13-year-old from Arlington, who won the top girls singles slot.
According to her coach, Tuemmler came to the team after taking up the sport with her family and won the top girls slot after defeating M-P varsity vets Kelsey Brubaker and Juliana Albano.
It is just amazing to watch her play because she has such great control and athleticism on the court, Moreno said. I can only imagine how good shell be when she gets on the court in whatever tennis team she plays for. Theyll be lucky to have her.
In addition to Brubaker and Albano, Moreno has a couple M-P boys tennis players as well. Joe Dyer, who earned the top boys singles spot, played number two singles last fall for the Tomahawks.
Moreno said he sees a lot of potential in his second boys singles player, Luke Giesecke, too.
I think Luke was on the JV boys tennis team. Hes an up-and-coming player, he said. I think hes going to be a sophomore this next year and I definitely see him making the varsity someday.
With his season wrapping up, Moreno said one of his goals for the next season is to try to encourage more players to join. A lifelong fan of the all-ages sport, Moreno said he hopes his experience and positive viewpoint will encourage more athletes.
To me, tennis is a fantastic game for any level, any age. Thats why Im involved in doing that. I couldnt imagine anyone having any more fun at work than me, he said.