Coach looks at year-round options
San Benito High tennis coach Chris Yoder has one simple answer
to solving his team’s woes on the court this season: Play
year-round.
”
That’s what it’s going to take to compete for a league
title,
”
said Yoder, who is also the head tennis professional at
Ridgemark Golf
&
amp; Country Club.
”
Right now, all of our guys are playing part-time. The top
players that I see in this league are definitely playing more
frequently and their playing in a lot of tournaments.
”
This summer Yoder is hoping to get a number of the players from
the Baler tennis team to compete in a San Jose-based league
– a league that will include many of the top players from the
powerhouse high school programs in the Central Coast Section.
Coach looks at year-round options
San Benito High tennis coach Chris Yoder has one simple answer to solving his team’s woes on the court this season: Play year-round.
“That’s what it’s going to take to compete for a league title,” said Yoder, who is also the head tennis professional at Ridgemark Golf & Country Club. “Right now, all of our guys are playing part-time. The top players that I see in this league are definitely playing more frequently and their playing in a lot of tournaments.”
This summer Yoder is hoping to get a number of the players from the Baler tennis team to compete in a San Jose-based league – a league that will include many of the top players from the powerhouse high school programs in the Central Coast Section.
“I also plan on hosting a few tournaments this summer at Ridgemark,” Yoder said. “The more USTA (United States Tennis Association) tournaments that these kids can play in, the better. High school tennis is a lot tamer than what you see in the USTA events. So if the kids learn to compete out there, they can compete anywhere.”
Last Thursday, the Balers ended their regular season campaign with a 5-1 loss to first-place Palma. This week, the team is gearing up for the Tri County Athletic League tennis championships, which will get under way on Tuesday, April 29.
“I’m hoping that our guys are able to play a little better at the TCAL tournament,” Yoder said. “We are capable of playing a little better. But realistically, Salinas and Palma are the deepest teams in the league and they have a lot more skilled players than us to win the singles and doubles championships. Realistically, I’d like to see our guys get to the semifinals. That’s about what I’m expecting.”
Against the Chieftains, the only match the Balers won came via a forfeit in the No. 3 doubles event where Palma simply didn’t have enough players to field that match.
“Palma had already won the league by the time we faced them in that match,” Yoder said. “I told my team to work on their attitudes, concentration and effort out there. We played hard and did all we could do they just played better than we did.”
The closest the Balers came to picking up a legitimate win came in the No. 2 doubles match where San Benito High’s Thomas Parcell and Joe Frusetta pushed the Palma team all the way to a tiebreaker set before falling 11-9 in the deciding match.
“That was close, but no cigar,” said Yoder, who was the former head coach at both Gilroy High and Live Oak before taking the head pro job at Ridgemark a year ago.
In the years ahead, Yoder is hoping to assemble a championship-caliber team at San Benito High.
“A lot is required of any individual or team to become a league champion,” he said. “The first thing that we need to do is start playing year-round. When I was at Live Oak, they had more year-round experience, and the Gilroy kids played with a lot of heart. Down here, they don’t seem as motivated. They just need to understand better the kind of commitment and dedication that it takes. If we can do that, we’ll be a much better team.”
