BHS tennis team pioneers new leadership model for next season

Published 3:16 pm Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The Bainbridge High School varsity tennis team has crafted a new style of teamwork that goes beyond just playing the game and looks to enhance students’ leadership and managerial skills as well.

In previous years, team officials explained, the team’s two or three co-captains were chosen by a vote of team members.

According to Spartan Head Coach Jennifer Shorr, voting candidates were limited to seniors and the outcome was heavily influenced by popularity. The team will now be forgoing the selection of co-captains in the upcoming 2016 season, Shorr said, in favor of this new idea.

“There are more than two to three players, especially on the Bainbridge team, that have excellent leadership skills and they get left out of that process,” said Assistant Coach Michael Lebeau. “You don’t have to be the best tennis player to have natural leadership skills, or for those skills to be valuably used. This new paradigm will utilize these natural leadership skills.”

Shorr and Lebeau call their new paradigm the “Leadership Circle,” and outlined the new system in a recent statement. Now, the team will be led from within by a group of varsity players chosen for higher-level positions based on initiative, passion and the ability to lead their peers.

“It’s not just an honorary title,” Lebeau said. “We let them tell us what their vision for the team is, what they’d like to bring to the team, what changes they’d like to make and what things to introduce.”

The six members of the first BHS Leadership Circle, as announced recently, are Eli Wagner, Maxwell Brown, Samantha Jiang, Ellie Van Slyke, Quinn Dassel and Elizabeth Viele.

“Every member of the Leadership Circle brings a different aspect,” said Van Slyke, a BHS junior. “I like that about tennis: it’s such a diverse sport, and with such different kids involved in the Leadership Circle, it’ll be a little taste of everything.”

The group has already begun to develop ideas in advance of the upcoming season.

New ideas so far include running after-school strength and conditioning training sessions before the season starts to ensure that everyone is prepared for the intense schedule of play; organizing social events early on to help all the team members get to know each other; acting as mentors to JV players to foster more integration across the whole tennis program; and creating an open and supportive atmosphere for all their teammates.

Wagner, a junior, is looking forward to what he calls “a great new way to handle a team,” and will enjoy, “seeing how everyone on the team has progressed throughout the year.”

The Leadership Circle’s most important duty, Lebeau said, is acting as role models for the other team members.

“Above everything else, all of it falls under the rubric of being the best role model possible,” he said.

“It’s not just about being a good player; it’s about having full commitment to the most appropriate intentions. We want to give our players a chance to make the contributions that they haven’t had a chance to make before, and make it possible for them to grow and develop leadership skills.

“This will not only benefit them greatly,” he added. “But, as role models, they will inspire other team members, making a stronger team.”

Viele, a senior, is enthusiastic about the new approach.

“I think that we are going to come together as a team more than in previous years,” he said. “And I think that will really change our team dynamic for the better. I love tennis, and I want everyone to have a good experience.”

Fellow senior Dassel agreed, saying, “I think the Leadership Circle will be more behind the scenes, but it will allow us to be more responsive to what the team needs. We can tailor our after-school practices to what each individual player needs to improve. We will be more organized and efficient, but it won’t take away from the overall team experience.”

“I am excited about the Leadership Circle because it will allow a great group of tennis players to come together and share ideas for the betterment of the team,” concurred Jiang, a BHS junior. “I’m all in!”

Fellow inaugural Leadership Circle member Brown, also a junior, described his eagerness to try out the newly renovated tennis courts at the high school, and said, “most of all, I look forward to spending time together again as a team each day after school—challenging one another, growing together, and simply enjoying each other’s company.

“Our hope is to establish a team philosophy and the Leadership Circle model will help upcoming players quickly understand what we’re all about: unity, team support, personal growth and intense competition,” he added.

Coed tennis is a spring sport at BHS, with competition set to begin in early April.