New jv-tennis coach heading for a grand slam
Malia Kabwe, Staff Writer
Katherina Valentiner recently joined the tennis team as the junior varsity coach. Valentiner taught at John Adams Middle School for 10 years before moving onto Samo. She grew up in Venezuela, and moved to the States to attend college in 2001. Her parents were avid sports fans and tennis players, and introduced Valentiner and her four sisters to tennis at a very young age.
“My parents always believed that tennis was a very social sport. No matter where you would go you would always find someone to play tennis with. They really enjoyed the social aspect of it, ” Valentiner said.
Valentiner could not play on her high school tennis team because the small size of her school caused there to be few sports programs available. Despite this, every Tuesday and Thursday during her childhood Valentiner parents put her in tennis lessons..
“I have been playing tennis since I was basically able to hold a racket. I think my parents first signed me up when I was five years old,” Valentiner said.
Surprisingly, Valentiner never enjoyed tennis as a kid, as she felt as though showing her disfavor towards tennis was a creative way of rebelling. However, during quarantine Valentiner had extra time on her hands and decided to give tennis another try. By playing at local courts with her eight and four year old sons, Valentiner discovered her love for tennis.
Now, like her parents, she passes on the tradition of playing tennis to the next generation by providing lessons to her children.
Valentiner decided to get involved in a sport at Samo because of the strong relationships sports create for students, and she would like to become a part of that process. When administrators announced they were in need of a JV tennis coach, Valentiner eagerly volunteered. Valentiner’s schedule does not allow her to take sixth period off, but she goes to all the home games and as many practices as she can. She hopes that by next year she will be able to spend more time with the team so she can help out more often. A piece of advice Valentiner gives to the team is to take it point by point and focus on the present, so as to not get overwhelmed.
