by Ian Johnson
The Manual boys’ tennis team has continued to hold conditioning practices every Tuesday and Thursday after school in preparation for tryouts on February 15th.
These practices take place in the hallway outside Coach Tim Smith’s (Spanish) classroom — and on the track when weather permits — for an hour and a half.
“One day is more focused on cardio and strength, while the next day is more focused on footwork,” said Coach Smith.
Both new and returning players have been attending the practices and each session has been open to anyone interested in playing this year.
“We (returning players) have been trying to help out the new freshmen with each of the exercises and hope to boost team camaraderie and chemistry,” said Allan Bartlett (12), who is captain of the team.
Coach Smith noted that some players weren’t as well prepared as others for the fitness sessions, but was positive towards player improvement.
The Manual girls’ tennis team was scheduled to begin conditioning last week, but was not able to due to cancellations based on weather conditions.
“The practices have been canceled because of snow, but we still have four weeks to condition before tryouts start,” said Monali Haldancar (12).