GV Tennis: It’s Only Up From Here
Doubles against Castaic High School on Senior Night
After a landslide win against Castaic on Senior Night and matches full of improvement and progress, Golden Valley’s Boy Tennis season has come to an end — so let’s review.
For those unfamiliar with tennis and its rules, tennis matches are played in either singles or doubles. Single matches are generally faster in pace and include one player facing off against another.
Double matches, however, are played with 2 players against another 2 players which results in generally lengthier matches due to ongoing rallies.
Scoring is based on a three-set system. This means each set, a player must reach six games, winning at least with a lead of two games, where every game is decided on a four points system — again, requiring a lead of two to win the game.
Each set is against a different opponent as each school has its lineup consisting of three singles and three doubles. While tennis is generally a more individually highlighted sport, both the Golden Valley’s JV and Varsity Boys Tennis teams did very well this year with tons of progress being made on and off the court.
While the teams have faced some losses this season, they have recently seen vast improvements in their play. For instance, on April 11, 2023, Golden Valley played against and beat Saugus in a singles match with a final score of 11-7.
“The first time we played them (Saugus) we lost by a game or two and the second time around my partner and I beat their #1 doubles who were undefeated… So me and my doubles partner, Nathan Chon, really improved and it helped us to win against Saugus,” mentioned Markellos Baez, 2023 Senior player on Boys Varsity Tennis
This is a sign of significant improvement amongst the team as Golden Valley has not beaten Saugus High School in several years.
“A big step in the right direction. What it shows me is that– all my players are simply getting better, at a faster rate than kids from other programs…I have athletes out there that are improving and it shows that they are fighting hard. We are doing a lot of things that are good out there in the program and it just shows the development amongst the players,” says Coach Stimac.
Another match where their improvement should be highlighted was the final game.
Senior night that took place on April 19th against Castaic High School where Golden Valley also won 11-7. In addition, the players individually seemed to have honed their skills a lot more now this season, for example, Jacob Aldon, a sophomore on the varsity team, has made a lot of improvement on his own.
“He joined freshman year not knowing much… but now he’s risen to #2 in singles. He’s been trying out singles for a long time because he was stuck playing doubles, and after spending his freshman year playing doubles and the beginning of the season in doubles, he proved to Stimac that he could do singles and he did well. He played against the hardest schools… and he scored a few points when other people couldn’t touch those players. So he grew a lot,” says Baez about his teammate Jacob Aldon.
Although the tennis season is over, all the schools in the Hart District will gather for a tournament at Paseo Club to determine who will represent the district in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).
Support Golden Valley’s Tennis team as they go into the CIF prelims!
Diego Rosas is a staff writer on the Community News Team at The Grizzly Gazette. Now in the 12th grade, Diego is a senior at Golden Valley High School. Having attended GV for just one year, Diego is eager to make an impression on the school be it through his writing. Diego is very invested in sports and on campus events therefore he is hoping to cover stories regarding such.
Being in this newspaper, Diego believes, is an indication of how far he has come as a student. Diego has not always been a very good student. In fact, he struggled with much of middle school and high school due to his past inability to stay organized and motivated but in spite of that he is now doing the best he has ever done in school. In addition, being a journalist is important to him because it allows him to have a voice and to spread information to the school in a way that reaches all audiences positively.
Diego enjoys working out, taking photos, going on walks, spending time with friends and family, reading,...
Danielle Luna, a student reporter and writer for The Grizzly Gazette, is on the Campus News Team. Currently in 12th grade and in three clubs on the campus, Danielle is very enthusiastic about this opportunity to write about campus and to students: her own classmates. Knowing high school for the last 4 years of her life, she is passionate to cover relatable topics and stories that are different from usual advice. Being a part of this team is an entertaining concept to her that she can finally create it to whatever she wants it to be for the future teams of journalism.
Putting aside the motivational speech, like almost every other person, she loves music: perhaps an article criticizing new albums can be released by yours truly. A proud Diamond 2 rank (and yes, don’t even finish that sentence you were coming up with). She will always be ready to be upfront and honest with any person, she will also likely have a big mouth most of the time- being perfect for journalism!
Arthur Betancourt is a senior at Golden Valley High School. He is involved in CSF and the school’s soccer team as well as previously being in the band program. As a writer on his team, he is heavily interested in all of the arts; however, music has always been his bread and butter. He would love to eventually work with music oriented topics and stories. His love of all things music stems from his experiences in his 7th grade Jazz band, and his various triumphs with his team.
Growing up in an immigrant family, he has developed a love for his Mexican roots and wishes to deepen his connection with the culture. Although he has since moved east from Santa Clarita, he remains in love with the city. Being a native to Santa Clarita, he knows the ins and outs of the city; appreciating it every day a little more.