Best Preps Tyler Award for Girls Tennis: Whitehouse’s Avril Cook

Published 2:59 pm Sunday, May 9, 2021

Best Preps Tyler Award for Girls Tennis: Whitehouse’s Avril Cook

What her coach said:

“Leadership is not determined by age and that is true for WHS Sophomore tennis player Avril Cook. Just two years into the high school program and she has already had an incredible impact on her teammates and the culture of the tennis team. This is my third year coaching Avril. At the end of the year, following her eighth-grade year, I spoke to the team as they prepared to enter high school outlining expectations and guidelines for the next year for tryouts. “My goal is making varsity coach, she excitedly exclaimed!” By fall tryouts, Avril had worked hard enough to be at the very bottom of the varsity ladder. She made it very clear that she wanted to be higher in the lineup. I explained this would take a lot of hard work but it was possible if she would buy into the championship culture mindset I was instilling in the program and if she would be coachable. She set to work and by the time district rolled around, she was in the most important singles spot, at number 6 where there is a lot of pressure on a player when matches are tied at 9-all. She displayed her overall toughness in a match on the line. She needed to win in order to help our team clinch a victory for a chance to play in the district championship. She was down 0-6, 0-2 when I walked out to coach her. She said “Coach, I’ll do whatever you ask of me. I know I can win this. I want to win this match more than I’ve ever wanted to win before. My team is counting on me.” I knew right then she was emerging as a leader, because she wanted to win for more than just herself. She battled back to win 11-9 in the third set. After this match, Avril was always someone I could count on, both on and off the court. She finished last fall undefeated in district at No. 6 singles and helped lead her team to the district championship. This year, Avril took more of a leadership role at practice, researching and implementing specific types of tennis specific conditioning, staying late to hit extra tennis balls or help a teammate learn something new. She often approaches me with new ideas about drills or how she can implement better doubles strategy. She comes to practice every day with a dynamic, positive energy that is contagious. Her ability to encourage and inspire others has helped our team reach new heights. She is competitive, determined and will hold her teammates accountable. Her tenacity, leadership and the willingness to always learn helped her and our team clinch back-to-back district championships and the first area championship in the history of the tennis program at Whitehouse.”