Brothers of Viking Tennis, this  is  your  manliest and hairiest representative speaking. With the exception of John Schmidt, but  he is a God  and  cannot  be  compared  with  us mortals.  Throughout the  year, we’ve went on our  bold conquests and showed our vigor in sacking the villages in foothill. Sadly,  our journey  comes to an end with a fork on the road, those who go  to different ships to meet different  kinds of people, and  those who stay on this one to continue domination of the Foothill. Unfortunately, some  of our main men  are going  away to different ships, among them  are Tayven Townshend, Anders Jansson, John Schmidt, Russell Del Rosario and Evan Tikka.I would like to say a few words on their behalf.

Tayven – You were possibly the handsomest man to play tennis this year. By God man, I say quit everything  and become a model. But in  all sincerity, you  were the epitome of hard work. You  improved so much over  the last 2 years, and  you really were a solid number 2 singles. Props to leading the team with your much valued captinancy. I will treasure your nickname ‘the package’ for the rest of my life.

Anders- Oh Anders.  You were certainly the biggest  ladykiller Viking. My only wish is to see you showing off a thick mustache in a shoot  for PlayViking magazine this year, but I digress…  You  were a  great player and possibly the loosest player I have ever seen. You had some major swag and  you tried to share your knowledge  with me and other players too. Your someone who will  be extremely missed and your conversations with Joseph will remain in the hearts of us Vikings forever.

Russell- Ah, Russell.  The anime loving, cool hairstyling Filipino kid who I’ve known for all the years I’ve been on the tennis team. Boy will I miss you. You were a great doubles partner and extremely hard to please sometimes,  but when I did somehow manage please you, I knew I  was playing good. You taught me a  lot about the  game and I’ll really miss you leaving  this ship. However, those  who say goodbyes should be strong, and parting should only make one’s bond thicker to others and themselves. So ramble on Russell. Ramble on.

John Schmidt- JOHNNN!! I could go on forever about this guy. Not only are you the hairiest young man I have ever seen in my life, but  you also have the greatest taste in orchestral music I  have ever seen! I actually have a  little anecdote to share about John.  So Evan, John and  I are coming  back from  another successful  day in league. All of a sudden John says ‘hey guys,  let’s  play some epic music to  intimidate  the team!’ All of a sudden, I hear a myriad of violins  shining through the light  and I felt like I was in heaven right there in John’s car. We  were cruising at a speed of 25 miles per hour while talking about the soundtracks  of obscure  films when we started talking about John’s notion of chivalry for women. Let’s just say Sir Lancelot would be proud.

Evan Tikka- Evan Tikka may have the  most beautiful backhand I have ever seen in my life. Its like a butterfly, soaring through the  woods with its brilliant wings flattering with the clarity  of an angel and  the resonance  of a dream.  I have  no idea  what that last sentence meant. Basically, the beauty of his backhand is in its mystery. I don’t know how he does it,  but he hits it over  hard with  perfect placement  and accuracy. However, as great as Evan’s  backhand is, it’s his mental game that I am most envious of. He’s always calm  under pressure, and  steady when playing tough  opponents. Most of all, he’s always having  fun, and that’s  something I want  to do no matter  how stressful  the game  I am playing is.

The point I am trying to get across is that all of these Vikings were more than just great warriors of  battle; they were  friends you could count on to give  any kind of advice. As people, each one of them had a big heart and contributed as much as they could to help the team. In the long run, that’s what  makes a team great; the desire to become better people and help others  to become better people as well. This year, the  seniors did  it, and I’m sure that next year, the seniors will do it too.

Of course,  we couldn’t succeed without the  help of a great  coach so special thanks to a great coach. Or coaches  for this matter. Even when Jen and Miss Kellogg  were running our heinies off, they  were doing it to prepare  us to be the best in  the league. And that we were. FOOTHILL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS VIKINGS! A great cheer to a great year and a open the door to many more. Because  the future is what  awaits us, and as  glorious as our past may be, that is what matters now. So  with a heavy heart  I say goodbye to this team which we will never have back, and ask to move forward. With a heavy heart, I leave all  that is  behind untouched  and change what I  can, the future. Come on Vikings, let’s build a good future. One ship at a time.

By Ronit Ghosh

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