It does not take long for four years of high school to go by in a flash and one Mission Bay senior certainly has a lot to be proud of both on and off the tennis court.
Nicolas Guevara has recently been wrapping up his tennis playing days for the Bucs.
A three-year varsity starter, Guevara played No. 2 singles this season for the Bucs, having been at No. 1 doubles the previous two years. Guevara has also served as team captain for the last two years. Also, he was the manager of the girls tennis team the last two seasons.
According to head coach Trong Tong, Guevara has done a myriad of things, including helping with turnout.
“Turnout for boys tennis has often been a struggle for us,” Tong said. “Nick has done a tremendous job in helping us to recruit in the last couple of years. His genuine love for the game has greatly helped to spread the words and pique students’ interest about tennis around campus. “As a player, Nick has markedly improved every single year he has played for us, which is inspiring all his teammates to do the same.”
Tong added that Guevara’s maturity has helped with the younger players on the team.
“Not only has Nick helped the younger players mature as teenagers, but he has also guided them through the format, etiquette, techniques as well as the growing pains of high school tennis,” Tong stated. Beach & Bay Press recently caught up with Guevara for an interview. BBP: How did you get started playing? Guevara: I began playing tennis primarily as a hobby through summer camps at the Barnes Tennis Center during middle school in the off-season of soccer. After a season-ending injury in soccer, I decided to pursue tennis at a higher level and begin taking classes at Barnes. After about a year of taking classes I began to play in a few tournaments the summer before my freshman year of high school. I decided to come out for the team at Mission Bay because I wanted to be able to enjoy the experience of a high school sport as well as get more experience playing tennis competitively. BBP: As a senior, how have you tried to help the younger guys? Guevara: This year we had the most returning players out of the past few years but there were still a few younger freshmen beginners. At the beginning of the season a few of the younger players did not have much of an interest of learning tennis and were more just there to be there. But I tried to introduce them to high school sports and the overall feeling of being part of a team. BBP: What are some highlights from your career at MBHS? Guevara: My top highlight from my tennis career at Misson Bay is winning the City League individual tournament with my doubles partner Jake Stone and qualifying for individual CIF. This is a moment that I am extremely proud of and am extremely proud of because I feel like it culminates the past four years of playing high school tennis and learning how to play more competitively not only from my coach, but also my teammates. BBP: How do you balance being a student and an athlete? Guevara: Balancing being a student and an athlete is not actually as difficult as many see it, but does have its challenges. I decided to pursue the path of the full IB diploma offered at Mission Bay, taking some of the most rigorous classes offered, and surprisingly, contradicting my previous thoughts, I actually had a lot of time for sports. BBP: Any college plans? Guevara: I am going to the University of California, Santa Cruz to study computer science: game design. I plan to continue to play tennis in college but I am not sure at what level. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly strong and competitive team. I do plan to keep practicing and playing to improve and possibly play on the team in a later year.