“The general feel of this season is rebuilding,” Boys Varsity Tennis captain Jeremy Tong said. The tennis season is off to a rough start this spring. With the empty spots that last year’s seniors left behind, this is a year to rebuild the team talent. Two freshmen joined the team along with two middle schoolers.

Another obstacle the team will have to overcome this year is their delay in court availability due to the snow. The team had begun practices as scheduled on Apr. 1, but after two cancelled practices they had to move to the Fred Wells Tennis and Education Center at Fort Snelling.

Freshman George Stiffman, who is new to the team this year, has kept a positive attitude towards the weather. “The weather is frustrating and not very tennis friendly, but the Fort Snelling courts are pretty close so it’s not too bad,” Stiffman said.

In terms of rebuilding, Stiffman says he hasn’t noticed much because he is new to the team but “as a team we definitely have work to do.”

Tong has made his agreement clear. “We had to take in a lot of new guys this year,” Tong said, “We really need to make sure that everyone has the basic skills to play.” Of the new players this year, four are in the starting line up, much more than previous years. Because of these setbacks the team, which is generally regarded as one of SPA’s more competitive, is not expecting a high-scoring season.

Tong is prepared for a year of growth, saying that “the matches we play will be tougher this year.” The team’s next match is against St. Anthony at SPA’s own tennis courts.