As a sophomore in high school, I was young, naïve, and very shy. I was afraid to branch out and try new things such as join clubs or sports. However, my friends pushed me to join the cross country team that fall. The season ended in November and the experience I gained from it was spectacular; it was truly unique. I had met some friends on the team who played tennis and so I tried out for the tennis team the following winter. I remember being extremely nervous the day before tryouts and asking my brother for advice on how to play. I remember the first ball I hit flying out of the fence because I had no idea how to play. Luckily for me there were no cuts, and so I made the JV team. I practiced every day and steadily, I rose to the top of my JV squad. That wasn’t enough for me though. By the end of the season, I was determined to make the varsity team the following season. All summer, I practiced three to four times a week with one of my friends I met who had played varsity. He taught me everything he knew and sure enough, I made the varsity team my junior year. Being a first-year varsity player, my nerves were at an all-time high. I wasn’t prepared for the level of competition I was playing at and so I started the year with a poor record. Towards the end of the season, I turned it around and I helped my team reach the first round of the state playoffs which they had failed to do the previous year. The peak of my high school tennis career however, came during my senior year. By this point, I was one of the best players on the team and so I was voted team captain. With a year of varsity tennis under my belt, I had the confidence I needed to perform well on the court. I played an amazing season and led my team to the second round of the state playoffs, which was the farthest the team had been in years. So looking back on my high school tennis career, I'm glad my friends had pushed me to try new things as I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without doing so.