Once it’s time to play high school sports, many junior tennis players are already playing at a skill level that is higher than their school peers. This can place them in a difficult position: whether to get involved with the school team and their friends or to go beyond the school team and focus on improving their game.

It is not uncommon for talented student athletes to choose to train and play outside of their high school programs so that they can better prepare themselves for their USTA junior career. It is a difficult decision but there is no right or wrong way to handle this situation and the answer will vary for each athlete.

At SFA, we are big advocates of high school tennis for a number of reasons. There are many positive aspects to playing on a team prior to playing in college. High school teams usually foster an environment of camaraderie, build sportsmanship and teach athletes the value of being a team player. Experiences with your high school team can be beneficial to your overall success as a college player regardless of your skill level because it brings more to your game than just the mechanics of play. Playing on your high school team will allow you to see yourself as part of something bigger and can be rewarding as you motivate and inspire other, less experienced, players.

Of course being the best athlete on your team goes a long way toward creating confidence but an athlete that is not in synch with the team atmosphere can easily become a distraction to the team, to the coach, and to the group’s collective goals. Each athlete must gauge for themselves the exact benefits of the team atmosphere and decide when it is time to move beyond High School tennis.

Tim Mang, Executive Director of National High School Tennis All American Foundation (NHSTAAF), is also a strong advocate of high school tennis. Each year, he hosts a team tournament in Southern California. The 2009 tournament was held in Corona Del Mar, California. Sixteen teams across the country were invited.

2009 NHSTAAF High School teams:

Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills, California
Brentwood School, Los Angeles, California
Brophy Jesuit Prep High School, Phoenix, Arizona
Cathedral Catholic High School, San Diego, California
Corona Del Mar High School, Newport Beach, California
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Florida
Harley Allendale Columbia High School, Rochester, New York
Horace Mann School, Riverdale, New York
La Jolla Country Day School, La Jolla, California
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, California
Menlo School, Atherton, California
Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara, California
Seattle Preparatory School, Seattle, Washington
Thousand Oaks High School, Thousand Oaks, California
University High School, Irvine, California
Waccamaw High School, Pawley's Island, South Carolina


University High School of Irvine, California took home the championship while Thousand Oaks High School was the runner up. To see the complete results click here. Additionally, NHSTAAF recently announced the 2009 Boys and Girls All American tennis players. Please join us in congratulating all of the honorees!