John Wasco follows the same routine before each of his tennis matches. A few ground strokes, some overhead volleys, a few serves. This is when he gets into the mindset for what’s about to come – a game, but not just a physical one, a mental one against not only his opponent but everyone, including the crowd and himself.
The CHS sophomore plays varsity tennis for Huron High School. But his relationship with the sport goes back to the beginning of middle school.
“I fell in love with it,” Wasco said. “It’s addicting. I can solve everything I want on the court.” For him, it’s a way to escape from the challenges of everyday life. He puts all his focus on that game and that moment, with all outside worries melting into the background.
Wasco felt the immediate shift in stakes when transitioning from a middle school to high school team.
“In middle school, they don’t really take it that seriously. In high school, they take things really, really seriously. You have to put in a lot of work and effort to show that you have dedicated yourself to playing and also show how good of a teammate you are,” Wasco said.
Tennis has fostered many opportunities for Wasco, but for him, the most important parts are both the connection he has with his teammates and the independence that comes with being a student-athlete.
“I don’t have to rely on people,” Wasco said. “I have to tell myself when it’s time for school and when it’s time for sports.” Learning to effectively manage time is a skill Wasco thinks tennis has given him. His strong connection with his team has also impacted both his skills and his character in many ways.
“They know what my strengths and weaknesses are, and they can help me work on what I need help on,” Wasco said. “Especially my coach.”
He enjoys playing both singles and doubles. Singles allows him to play one-on-one, and to tune out everything else and focus on what he needs to do to win.
“You have the whole court to yourself, and you can just think, ‘How am I going find this guy’s weakness?’” Wasco said. “What is he struggling with? How can I use his weaknesses and use my strengths against his?”
However, he also enjoys playing with his teammates in doubles. He attributes his success this season to his bond with his doubles partner, Daniel Jacob, who is also a student at CHS.
“At the start of the season, Daniel and I weren’t very communicative,” Wasco said. “As the season progressed and we started playing more games together, we started talking more. We started listening to each other more and started taking each other’s advice.”
Wasco believes this bond is what helped the duo take down town rivals Skyline and Pioneer this season.
As he moved into his second year of high school tennis, taking losses is something Wasco feels he has become more comfortable with.
“When I lose a match, I feel as if I just lost states or regionals,” Wasco said. “I know that I should have won and I should have played better. You just have to take the loss as a lesson and use what you didn’t do in your game and put it in your next game.”
Huron’s Varsity Men’s Tennis team won regional championships on Thursday, Oct.10. Wasco hopes to continue to get better throughout the rest of his high school career and play tennis in college.
“My biggest goal is to play professional tennis and win the U.S. Open,” Wasco said. Wasco’s advice for other athletes is to never give up.
“You get better and better each day; just keep going and keep pushing through,” Wasco said. “In any event, it does pay off in the end, because you get where you need to be. If you follow your dreams, nothing is impossible.”
