Iowa Prep Tennis Prepares for Season

The high school tennis season begins in late March for boys and girls in Iowa; however, the spring season will look much different than it has in the past. Last year, the tennis season was canceled because of COVID-19, so this year there will be many guidelines to follow.

Waukee Boys Head Tennis Coach Eric Wetzel said some of those protocols include: practice/conditioning groups will need to be in pods to limit the spread; each player will have his own tennis balls to use during a match (for serving purposes); team huddles will be distanced; no indoor social gatherings (such as team dinners, parent meetings, etc.), and some school districts may require mask wearing during matches.

 “I am most excited to reconnect with the players after having our season canceled in 2020,” Wetzel said. “I am also excited to meet the new players that we get every season, along with developing their games for continued improvement.”

Tami Lewton is the head coach of the Ankeny Centennial Boys Tennis Team. She said fans and coaches will be wearing masks during matches and during weight training. They will continue with social distancing and will have lots of hand sanitizer as well.

“Every player will bring their own hand sanitizer; however, we will also be stocking hand sanitizer in our equipment shed,” she said. “All water fountains and communal water coolers will be unavailable. Each player will bring their own water and we will have water bottles only available as extras. All drills and practices will use social distancing and all fans will practice social distancing.”

Even though Lewton said it’s disappointing they can’t have team dinners and other team-building activities this year, she’s excited the kids are able to play. They lost some players last year and have encouraged others to get out and play to make up for the missed season.

“I am just thrilled that we can get out on the courts and have a season,” she added.

For more information on the boys’ and girls’ seasons, click on these links:

https://ighsau.org/coaches-administrators/

https://www.iahsaa.org/about/staff/