Team Comes from Two Different Communities, Yet Plays as One
ARKANSAS TEAM FORMS FROM FRIENDSHIPS PAST AND PRESENT
By Amanda Tobin and Jennifer Pollack/ USTA Southern

Living in two different cities has not kept this Arkansas 18 & Under Intermediate team from competing together. The team members reside in both Greenwood and Fort Smith, Arkansas, which are 16 minutes apart. However, all the members play under the Western Arkansas Tennis Association. The team formed from friendships made during USTA junior summer tournaments and recommendations from current team members.

For three of the senior players, they are beginning to pack for their freshman year of college. Two of those players, Evan Daniel and Meagan Childers have committed to continue playing tennis at their college of choice. Daniel is starting his collegiate tennis career at Cowley Junior College in Kansas City, Kansas, while Childers is playing at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas. Scott Rogers has decided to attend the University of Arkansas; however, he will not be playing tennis for the school. Unfortunately for Childers and Rogers, they will not be able to compete at the Jr. Team Tennis Sectional Championships due to conflicting school schedules.

The rest of team is comprised of one sophomore and several rising juniors and seniors. The players come from three different high schools in the area, including Southside, Greenwood and Union Christian. While none of the schools are in the same conference, they do compete against each other in matches during the school year. According to team coach, Barbara Daniel, “The matches are competitive. They are a friendly rival that is a fun, positive rivalry rather than negative.” And she would know because Daniel is the tennis coach for Southside High School.

These team members are no strangers to winning on the court at the high school level. The girls on the team from Greenwood are state doubles champions, the boys from Southside are a part of the conference championship team, and the boys from Greenwood are also members of the winning conference team. These players hope to find similar success on the courts in Mobile.