Girls Tennis Team Challenge

By Joy Oh Despite the tempestuous and current state of the world, many people within the Great Valley community are still looking to stay busy during quarantine, whether it be through volunteering, baking, or even exercising. The high school’s girls’ tennis team is currently doing fun tennis-based exercise challenges such as Andy Murray’s 100 volley challenge and Roger Federer’s solo volley challenge. New challenges are posted every week on the team’s Instagram account. “We just wanted people to have fun and find a way to be active despite being in quarantine,” said junior and captain Brooke Oberly. “The challenges are also a great way to get ready for the season and are fun team-bonding activities.” Oberly and her other co-captains, Kaitlyn William-Koester and Joy Oh, post team members’ versions of the challenges on the account. The first challenge the captains challenged the team to perform was Murray’s 100 volley challenge. Murry had challenged his Instagram followers to reach 100 volley shots between themselves and another person. The team members performed the challenge outside and even inside of their own homes. Sophomore Puji Masireddy did her own unique take on the challenge by hitting volleys against the wall of her basement instead of with another person. Most of the players who participated in the challenge did it with their siblings or parents, such as sophomore Sapna Chokshi, who did the challenge with her little sister. Even the coaches, government teacher Gerald McGrath and guidance counselor Meredith Bebee, said that they would try to do Murray’s volley challenge. This week’s challenge is to create a TikTok style video. The players were encouraged to have someone throw a tennis ball at her, hit any kind of tennis shot, and cut the video so that multiple players’ individual videos can be strung together to create one video and the transitions between each individual video create the idea that there is one ball being passed or hit around the players. Despite the stress and uncertainty of the future due to the current pandemic, enjoyable activities such as the ones that the girls’ tennis team is doing ultimately bring people and the community closer together.