Ferris duo fairly new to competitive play

Thu., March 23, 2006

Mike Boyle Correspondent

For many athletes, success in a high school sport usually is the culmination of having played that sport for years.

Ferris senior tennis players Joel Adams and Clark Weigand are an exception, as neither played tennis seriously until going into high school.

“My parents played it and are still currently playing it,” said Weigand, who will play No. 1 doubles for the Saxons this season. “I played it a little as a kid, but didn’t really like it.

“I don’t know. There wasn’t anything else going on, so I decided to pick it up again.”

“I used to run track, and I was having a hard time staying motivated for track,” said Adams, who will be on the No. 2 doubles team. “I just wanted to play tennis.

“It was something different. I loved track, but I wanted to do something different, and tennis seemed like a fun sport.”

The two will be co-captains for Ferris for the second consecutive year as they hope to win the Greater Spokane League title.

“One of their biggest attributes is they compete,” said Saxon head coach Brian Sachse. “Regardless of their stroke capability or their mechanics, they get in and fight and battle, and never let up.

“That’s a quality that’s hard to find in any kid.

“I think the kids see they have good character,” Sachse continued.

5”They have opinions about how they should be acting on and off the court, whether it’s in the hallway at school or in the classroom, or how they should handle a situation on the court when they’re playing an opponent.

“Those are things I look for as far as a captain.”

The senior leaders hope to not only lead the Saxons to the GSL title after a runner-up finish last season, but also have fun doing it.

“We try to keep things serious when we need to, but we like to have a lot of fun,” said Adams. “It’s a fun group of guys we play with.

“There’s never really a dull moment when we play, and I guess that keeps everybody loose.”

“We just have lighthearted fun out there on the court,” Weigand said.

“If you take it too serious on the court and get too mentally into it, it just bogs you down.

“You just have to have fun out on the court.”

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