As our PVHS girls’ tennis team prepares to face another season, there are a few more additions to this year’s team. I’m not just talking about the new team mascot, Oakley, a miniature golden doodle. With a record number of girls expressing interest in joining the team, PVHS added a few new faces to the coaching staff. To complement the expanding program, the PVHS  girls’ tennis team offered a warm welcome to new coaches Marty Salokas, Frankie Cruz-Aedo, and Jarrod Brown, who say they are thrilled to be coaching our Sea King ladies.

As the previous JV coach, Salokas has taken over from the previous Varsity Coach, Jeremy Meadows, who is now positioned as our school’s new Vice Principal. Salokas is excited to continue working with the girls he coached on JV, as they progress to Varsity. With practices and hard work, he hopes the girls’ personal game will improve.  Salokas stated, “we want every player to really enjoy their high school tennis experience and want them  to play for the rest of their lives.” Senior and Varsity team captain, Megan Fitzpatrick, anticipates a great season and is happy to have Salokas by her side. She stated that, “Coach Marty has helped [her] focus on the overall construction of winning a point.” Varsity player Jordan Mickle explained, “Coach Marty focuses on mental tennis and trying to unite the team to use a certain strategy rather than letting everyone play their own game.” Salokas credits his strategy for coaching and playing to Pete Sampras, professional tennis player. According to Salokas, Sampras was known for his professionalism and strong work ethic, which are important traits to have on and off the court. Working with all ages and skill levels, Salokas has worked with college programs and junior traveling teams that represent southern California. Holding great pride in his Sea Kings, Salokas can’t wait to help grow and inspire his players, leading the Palos Verdes girls’ tennis program to rise to the top of the hill.

New Junior Varsity coach Cruz-Aedo has previously coached a team of 63 girls in Boise, Idaho, bringing them to a state championship. Cruz-Aedo is a solid addition to the coaching staff, strengthening the girls’ tennis program even more. When asked about his expectations for the team, Cruz-Aedo stated, “ All of our matches will be tough for us because we are tough on ourselves.”  Throughout this upcoming season, Cruz-Aedo hopes to share the important life lesson that he has learned from tennis. Some valuable lessons are sportsmanship and etiquette that will help shape a person’s character. He also hopes to strengthen the team structure and overall performance through positive reinforcement and fun acronyms like PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) to keep a positive atmosphere along with team spirit on the court.

One of the JV captions, sophomore Margaret Tajirian, said “practices are really fun because Coach Frankie has us play lots (sic) of matches, which help us figure out what we need to work on and then we can improve and practice those things during the next match we play.”Cruz-Aedo’s strategy for this season is 90% mental and 10% physical. With this strategy, Cruz-Aedo hopes to motivate his team to victory.

The final addition to the team is Frosh/Soph coach Brown. “The primary focus this year is to have fun, improve fitness, and hopefully spark a love for the game of tennis while encouraging confidence, pride and respect within each member of the team.”

He also mentioned he wants to “develop the team’s ability to play and understand tennis so they can meet and connect with other players. That way they can continue to pursue the sport to junior varsity or even the Varsity levels.” Frosh/ Soph team captain Danny Rubio said Brown is “a great coach” and “he encourages us to play our best and wants us to really enjoy tennis.”

With these new coaches  working together to bring more spirit, energy and enthusiasm to PVHS girls’ tennis, the team will be ready to serve up the competition as the season begins.