HighFIVE: Lincoln HS Tennis
After several years of inactivity, tennis returns to Lincoln High School in Denver
When Miriam Tapia Salinas joined the staff of Denver’s Abraham Lincoln High School (ALHS) in 2021, she immediately noticed there were no tennis teams even though the school had recently renovated courts. Despite there being little interest from the students, Kevin Arroyo, the Athletic Director, and Miriam had a shared vision of bringing back the program which disappeared during COVID, knowing it would be beneficial to students. While it took a few years, it finally happened this season when, as Miriam says, “synergy took over”.
Miriam, Dean of Postsecondary Programs & Girls Head JV Tennis Coach at Lincoln, grew up in Northwest Denver and knows firsthand the positive impact that tennis can have on young women.
“I started playing when I was 11 with my sister and friends and then was invited to a free summer tennis program at North High School where I was provided with a racquet and a great introduction to the sport through Denver Parks & Rec. I knew I loved the sport immediately!”
The “synergy” that Miriam speaks of is a little like a feel-good movie, which is fitting since part of the creation of the team is due to the movie “King Richard”. In the winter of 2024, Anaiya Teklemariam, a leadership student at Lincoln, decided she wanted to start a tennis team after being inspired by the movie.
“Anaiya created a flyer and began recruiting her friends to help spread the word and initially we had 16 students express interest,” says Miriam. Simultaneously, the Denver Tennis Park (DTP) Community Relations Team reached out to the high school in hopes of elevating tennis in southwest Denver. At the initial meeting between DTP and Lincoln, Miriam says “magic occurred” as the dynamic leadership teams were both inspired by the student interest and the mission to expand tennis into southwest Denver. This quickly formed an authentic connection and commitment to turning the idea of a team into a reality.
“The program came together at a perfect time,” says Magda Apodaca, DTP’s Advantage Kids & Scholarship Program Coordinator. “The DTP team had a goal of starting a high school tennis team and Lincoln was perfect because they had courts that DTP resurfaced a couple of years ago and we run community programs there in the summer. It took a couple of attempts to get into the school, but once we did, all of the Lincoln staff was onboard.”
Thanks to Anaiya’s passion & the coaches’ recruiting efforts, a team of 22 girls was ultimately formed! As a former Denver Parks & Rec coach, Miriam agreed to serve as the head coach, having the tools to teach the basics of tennis, which were complemented by support and mentoring from DTP coaches Ed Anderson and Ben Wolfe.
2025 Lincoln High School Girls Tennis Team
“We were fortunate to have Frank Mora, a former Metro State player, and Noel Nieves, Lincoln’s Assistant Principal, join as assistant coaches,” says Miriam.
Additionally, Miriam has captained numerous women's 4.0 league teams and believes that experience provided a similar organizational structure of establishing teams, working through registration and motivating the girls throughout the season.
Because the team was made up of players with no tennis experience, Lincoln competed solely at the JV level this season. Miriam says “Given many teams in our area have varsity squads, we've mostly played scrimmages against varsity teams. But our girls were thrilled and validated when they won 6-1 in their solo JV vs JV match against East High School!”
This is quite an accomplishment, not only because this was a team of new players but it also included many students new to the United States who had never played on any type of formal athletics team. Most students at Lincoln come from homes with limited financial means so the potential costs of tennis could have been a burden.
“DTP's tremendous support of racquets, bags, shoes and uniforms has created excitement and pride in our girls. The generosity of a few angel funders has made all the difference,” say Miriam.
With the success of the team this year, Miriam is excited about what the future holds for girls’ tennis at Lincoln. She says, “This was absolutely an exposure and development year. The goal is to teach the girls tennis basics, scoring and strategy and important life lessons which build self-confidence and resilience while equipping them to have fun and build friendships on court. Success equals showing up, learning the basics, bringing forth effort and developing a desire for further growth!”
Having played both No. 2 and No. 3 singles at Denver North High School, and going to State at both positions, Miriam knows the joys that playing high school tennis can bring and says,
“Tennis has brought so much to my life, and I hope to replicate even a portion of what was given to me for these girls.”
The excitement surrounding tennis at Lincoln is palpable and Coach Mora has agreed to serve as Head Coach for a Lancer’s boys’ tennis team this fall with both DTP’s and Miriam’s support and enthusiasm. It sounds like Lincoln Lancer tennis has a sustainable and bright future ahead!
You can catch updates on how the team is doing on Instagram @alhs_lancers.
MidFirst Bank is one of the largest privately owned banks and this combination of size and private ownership provides our customers with a special brand of banking. We are a strong supporter of the communities we serve, investing time and money in important educational, charitable and civic organizations. Our volunteerism is powered by our employees from all of the communities in which we live and share with our customers. MidFirst Bank is a proud partner of USTA Colorado.
Related Articles
Sign up for our Newsletter
Download the USTA App
