Passion for playing
Caroline Chandler ’21 finds her focus and fascination in tennis.
Caroline Chandler ‘21 has played almost every sport you can think of: basketball, soccer, gymnastics and dance. But out of all of them, there’s only one sport that has stuck with her for years: tennis.
Chandler has been playing tennis for four to five years and thoroughly enjoys it. “You learn a lot of great life skills from the sport,” Chandler said. “You get to learn how to problem solve on your own, you don’t really have other people to help you.” Chandler feels that the independence of the sport builds individuality and confidence.
Chandler’s tennis coach, Amie Villarini, describes Chandler as a strong competitor and someone who strives to improve her game. “Caroline loves the game of tennis…She plays so many tournaments and matches which helps her strengthen her mental toughness on the court as well as her strategic sense of the game,” said Villarini.
One of the biggest highlights from playing tennis in high school for Chandler has been when she and her team won state championship last year. It was an amazing experience. I still can’t even believe it….winning a state title freshman year. It was just an amazing moment to share with my team. — Caroline Chandler '21
Chandler was sick with a 103 fever a couple days before state and was worried that she wouldn’t get over her illness, but thankfully she did. “It was pretty early in the morning and I was actually pretty calm about everything and I just told myself to go out and play my game,” Chandler said.
She didn’t overthink her first match, which Chandler said she normally does. “It was an amazing experience. I still can’t even believe it….winning a state title freshman year. It was just an amazing moment to share with my team,” Chandler said.
She took a while to process the events and the huge goal that had just been met, but after the victory really settled in, she and her team were on cloud nine. Chandler, her family, and her teammates went out to the Found Family Farm and celebrated. Coach Amie Villarini also felt lots of emotions after winning state. “It’s almost indescribable…I remember in the moment feeling so incredibly proud of the team for overcoming a lot of pressure and putting in everything they had physically and with a lot of heart and soul,” Villarini said.
Chandler has valuable advice for people who want to play tennis or any sport. She suggests trying out multiple sports before you stick to one. “It’s fun to do multiple sports,” she said, “because you can kind of see what you like and what you don’t like.” Chandler has more beneficial advice, “Don’t go down the arrogant path, just stay confident in your game.” She has taken that confidence to every sport she’s played and it has served her well. “[Tennis] has just made me more confident. And in tennis, you have to have a good baseline of confidence,” Chandler said.
