Captains look to lead young tennis team toward success
May 7, 2024
Dartmouth’s Annica Dupre warms up before her singles match during the meet against Brockton on Thursday, April 25. Photos by Leighah Beausoleil
Dartmouth’s Camille Taradash reaches to hit the ball.
Brockton High School welcomes in their players by high-fiving with their rackets.
Dartmouth clapping in their players.
Dartmouth’s Camille Taradash runs to hit the ball.
Dartmouth co-captain Adeline Ablett is ready for her doubles match.
It’s an especially young team this season, but Dartmouth High School’s girls tennis hasn’t let that stop them from playing hard and enjoying the game, according to senior co-captains Adeline Ablett and Julia Caron.
“Last year, we lost a bunch of our really good seniors,” Caron said.
According to Head Coach Maggie Frye, of the eight sophomores on the team, four make up this season’s seven starters.
Facing some of their tougher competition at the beginning and with the frequent bouts of wind and rain, the team faced some challenges at the start of the season. However, Ablett and Caron argue, “It's just a bit of an adjustment that we're taking time to get used to.”
As of April, Frye and the captains had already noticed improvements in the young athletes. Ablett noting how “absolutely insane” some of the growth has been.
The co-captains had been playing on the team all four years of high school, with a number of coach changes along the way — Frye joining the girls just last spring.
Ablett said each coach change required “a big adjustment,” but added Frye came in with “kindness,” “compassion” and a competitive spirit that the girls have come to appreciate.
“She kind of finds a balance between being a friend, but also being like a coach that can help us,” she said.
Caron highlighted how Frye has contributed to the atmosphere of the sport — one she described to be “welcoming,” “chill” and “fun.”
She added how excited she was to now be a part of creating that atmosphere with her co-captain.
Caron said for her, this sport has become “a way to have fun after school and build a community, where everyone just loves tennis and loves being around each other.”
While the co-captains main goal for the season is to win the championship, both agreed the growth of the community and individual players is just as important.
Frye said, “We have great leaders. I love our captains — all our seniors really take a captain role — and it's great to see them work with those younger girls since we do have such a young team. I feel like they really take the initiative.”
