Senior Jennifer Do, a possible candidate for valedictorian, and Spring Valley’s tennis captain, has come to the end of her final tennis season in her high school years. 

Do wants to finish her senior year on the tennis team good whether it’s qualifying for regionals or having more chances to play doubles with her best friend. Even though the team might not win every match, it’s about the journey getting there as a team. 

“The best part of tennis the team does would be that we win and lose together. We don’t blame anyone if they have lost the set or if we lose the entire match,” Do said. “We’re a team, so if anything happens, we stick together and cheer each other.” 

Do came into high school thinking the only goal she had was to become valedictorian. Tennis is a competitive sport, but people need to realize that having fun will make the experience even greater. Over the years, she realized there’s more to high school than academics. Being involved is very important. Many college students regret not being involved. If they were, they would have a better high school experience. 

“Students wanting to become Valedictorian must remember that they should still have fun. The idea of just focusing on studying and homework is the only way to achieve the Valedictorian spot was a mentality that I carried throughout my freshman and sophomore years,” Do said. “I do regret those years because I was very closed-off with my surroundings, meaning that I didn’t talk to my peers as much and didn’t join more clubs.” 

Do thought tennis would take her focus away from her academics since the practices were every day from 1:30-4:00 and matches lasted for over four hours, so she never came back to tennis. She was so scared of not being able to become Valedictorian if she took part in the tennis team. Coach Bloom told Do she will be ranked third. Because of encouragement from him, she decided to play for the tennis team. That eventually led her to stay on the team for four years while being captain for three. 

“I wanted to quit the tennis team before the tennis even started. However, I got a call from Coach one afternoon, where I told him about my situation and my explanation for leaving,” Do said. “He was so supportive and understanding that he said I could skip all of the practices and only attend the matches if it would encourage me to stay on the team.”

“Coach Bloom has made a great impact on my life because I’ve known him for my entire high school career, and it is sad knowing that this is my final time on the team,” Do said. “I’ve made so many memories in which I soundly even have any tennis memories if it wasn’t for Coach bloom to encourage me to stay freshman year.” 

Coach Bloom encourages Do to always put academics first, before tennis. He motivated her to stay focused on her personal and academic careers. He makes sure all his tennis players have a great time throughout the season.

“Choose clubs and sports that matches your schedule personally in order for you to benefit in the end. You’re not trying to impress your coach, you’re trying to impress you,” Do said.