My junior tennis season started off a little rocky. My sophomore year, the reason why I loved tennis was because my two best friends, Katie and Miranda, were on the team with me. We did weird, silly things at practice, like tucking our shirts into our skirts, wearing long goofy socks, or just doing our hair funny. This kept practice and matches fun, even though we did have to get serious once in a while.

Along with growing up comes seeing your friends grow up. Katie and Miranda went post-secondary for their senior year, so they didn't join the tennis team because it would have been too much to handle. I know that they did what was right for them, but I was devastated. I had looked forward to tennis season all year because it was the one thing that brought our busy lives together.

Naturally, I wanted to quit during the first week of practice. Practices felt more difficult and boring, and I felt extremely alone. I had spent so much time with Katie and Miranda last year that I really hadn't developed relationships with any of the other girls on the team.

My mom strongly encouraged me to stay with it through the season, and I followed her advice. Before I knew it, I was having the time of my life. I made great friends with a couple of girls I had barely known before and I am lucky to call one of these girls my best friend.

The coaches were fantastic. They wanted us to enjoy ourselves, but they also respected us enough to not let us goof off all the time. Each coach had a completely different dynamic.

The head coach, Mr. Toole, sure is a character. He reminded me of a jolly Santa Claus sometimes -- if Santa Claus dressed all in green, chewed on a green toothpick and talked in a Boston accent. He made sure we always had fun, but he also pushed us to become better players and to have a better mindset.

Every year, he comes up with a motto for the team to say together in our huddle. The motto this year was, "Tennis and life: Play and live both with enormous enthusiasm and endless energy." Imagine 23 girls trying to recite that mouthful at the same time. Nobody really ever got the saying down, but we all took the message home nonetheless.

The great coaching led us to have a very successful season. We finished with 14 wins and three losses. We were seeded second in our section, and sixth in the state. We lost in the semifinals for our section to a team we had never played before, and they were outstanding. It was a tough loss, and a rough end to the season. However, I don't believe this loss was reflective of our playing. Throughout the season, our hard-working girls fought to defeat many formidable opponents.

I am proud to say that I was a member of Lake City tennis this year. I will never forget the memories from this season. I had the opportunity to watch my friends become better players, and I also got to watch myself improve. I'm so thankful that my mom encouraged me to stay in tennis, even when it didn't start off as well as I'd hoped. It's true, Mom always knows best.

Lauren McDevitt is a junior at Lincoln High School in Lake City. To respond to an opinion column, send an e-mail to life@postbulletin.com.

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