CHURCHILL TENNIS PROGRAM: Diana Riechel Head Tennis Coach

Tryouts for Fall 2023 varsity consideration begin Monday, July 31st- August 3rd

8:00am- TBD

Parent meeting will take place: Tuesday, Aug 1 at 7pm in the Team Room in the Athletic Building at the back of the school.

If you are unable to attend: 

ALL COMMUNICATION / INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE SEASON AND RECOGNITIONS WILL BE ON SPORTSYOU APP

2024 Summer schedule / Fall varsity tryouts and matches:

Varsity tryouts begin @ WCHS Monday August 29 at 8 am. There will be multiple matches each day as we have our first match the first week of school. Players should be heat-acclimated and prepared to play 2 out of 3 sets with a 10 point tie breaker for the 3rd.  This will establish the top Varsity Boys and Girls. 

We live in South Texas and have to compete in very hot temps for the majority of the Fall season. Incoming participants need to be heat acclimated by having played throughout the summer. We do not have enough time from the beginning of tryouts to our first match to get the athletes ready. This is an expectation of all who have varsity goals.

We keep approximately 20 kids in the varsity program. Most of these kids have years of tennis experience with many competing in tournaments each month along with lessons/clinics. A commitment to tennis outside the tennis period has proven to be necessary to have success in this district and region.

The varsity expectation is attendance at morning practice is mandatory each day that practice is scheduled. Teachers do not get here until 8 am for tutoring. Kids need to be warmed up and ready to practice at 7:30 am. Only if there is an appointment or family obligation will practice be missed. Text communication is imperative if a student is running late. Excessive absences from practice do affect participation in matches and tournaments. We have doubles pairings that require each teammate to be in attendance at practice.

All required physical paperwork must be submitted for participation. These high school physical forms can be found on neisd.net. Click on athletics and then the parent page. There is a link for required athlete forms. There is an online participation form to be completed by the student and a parent. The physical needs to be completed by a doctor and the medical history is completed by a parent.

A parent meeting will take place at school on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at 6:30pm pm in the athletic building mat room to answer any questions and go over details for the year.

The Fall season is primarily a varsity season with only a few JV events. The Fall season ends in mid October with the Spring Individual season for both Varsity and JV beginning in January.

JV and Freshman tryouts will take place during the first week of school. The main JV/freshman season takes place throughout the spring semester. Again, all required paperwork must be completed and submitted to tryout, practice and participate. The JV / freshman team is competitive and we keep about 20 kids. This is not an intro to tennis class or intended to take the place of a p.e.credit. Objective measurements of skills  ( grips, spin, rallying) will take place.

In the spring for Varsity and JV events, there are 4 singles spots and 12 doubles/mixed doubles spots. In April there is a district tournament that gives the athletes an opportunity to earn a spot in regionals and the state tournament.

The athletic periods are not intended to be an introduction to tennis or a substitution for a pe credit. We make every attempt to have athletes participate in other activities at school but sometimes difficult choices have to be made if schedules overlap.

Each year we have had multiple summa cum laude graduates in our program, proving it is possible to maintain a varsity tennis commitment while budgeting appropriate time to academic pursuits. One of the main pillars in our program is to teach accountability and responsibility. Good grades are an expectation and are required for participation in the tennis program at Churchill HS.

Please email me at driech1@neisd.net if you need help finding local tennis lessons and camps. Blossom tennis center has half and full day camps all summer. They also offer 30 minute and 1 hour private lessons to get ready for tryouts. Basic strokes with the right grips and spins are expected to make the JV/freshman team.You can find out more info on blossomtennis.com (210) 491-6108.

Please have all required forms completed and submitted before tryouts.

Thank you and see you on the courts!