Kingswood’s Oxford middle school contains several students who are talented enough to play on a varsity team. Boys and girls varsity tennis and varsity golf have been enhanced by having these students, as they play near the top of the ladder.
Despite being younger than the rest of their teammates, eighth-graders Ciaran Concepcion, Pratt Blair, Alex Doering, and Victoria Concepcion have all excelled on the tennis courts. In addition to being an exemplary student, eighth-grader Austin Perkins is outstanding on the golf course.
These younger athletes have accomplished what many have not; playing at the top level of the team with opponents who are four years older than they are. Blair has developed a sense of how to compete at this high level. “I usually have a really confident state of mind, playing against players that are way older than me,” he said. “I feel like I have not much to lose, because I’m still developing, and I go with the state of mind that I can do anything I want.” Ciaran Concepcion feels the same way, as both he and Pratt play number two doubles.
In order to thrive at such a competitive level, kids must start a sport at a very young age, which is the exact case for Perkins. “So I started playing golf when I was two years old, I’ve been playing in my basement in the winter ever since, and it really started becoming competitive around two years ago, when I started playing in junior golf tournaments,” he said.
While many people may just be prodigies at the sport, in order to become a professional, hard work is required at any age.
When playing a sport, there is most likely a mentor that the younger athlete looks up to. They may not be on the professional level yet, but they do mean something to Ciaran Concepcion. “I look up to my captain because he’s leading us through this journey that we have, his name is [senior] Max-William Kanz, he is a good captain. Ciaran plays number four singles and is hoping to reach the level of his captain who plays number one singles.
Every athlete usually has a goal set for themselves to accomplish. For Doering, this goal could be in her future. “Overall, I want to play number one doubles or number one singles,” she said. Victoria Concepcion is just as skilled in this sport and will go far with Alex as they now play number three doubles together.
The varsity tennis and golf teams are certain to be successful with the talent that is moving to the upper school with these young athletes.
