This past weekend, while our twins were glamping at Windy Gap Church Camp with busloads of Young Life friends and our oldest was measuring UV rays around the Midlands, I had the privilege of assisting with the A.C. Flora J.V. Boys tennis team.
The team, parents, Head JV Coach Debbie Blair, and I arrived at Lexington County Tennis Complex around 8:15 on Saturday and Sunday mornings for two long days of solid tennis.
A.C. Flora ended up as Finalists which, given the circumstances, is something to be proud of for two reasons.
1: For this particular event, our team played with seven players, the minimum needed to compete in each match without forfeiting a court. In plain speak, that means every player had to compete in every match, while the other teams had the luxury of subs, should they be needed. Our fellas showed teamwork, sportsmanship, and grit.
2: This Invitational Tournament was loaded with 5A schools, and Flora (4A) went 3-0 before taking an L in the finals to a 5A school with a JV squad so large in numbers, they entered two teams in the tournament, one in each flight. In short, they had at least double the amount of Flora.
The Varsity Boys team made an upstate swing, led by program director Amy Martin and assistant coach Paige Haas, successfully competing against Riverside, T.L. Hanna, and D.W. Daniel, improving Flora’s record to 17-0, respectively.
While the varsity was doing impressive things this weekend, the JV was in Lexington doing some work, as well.
As most of you know, Columbia, SC entered 90-degree heat levels this weekend, and I sneezed more in the last two days than I have in months! That all said, it was a fun experience for everyone, and I was proud to wear my Falcon swag and stand with the fellas while they played hard and represented Flora well!
Thank you!
Franklin Jones
*Side Note – During a long layover between matches on Saturday, one of the dads and I rolled down to give City Limits BBQ a try. The whole experience was awesome. The line was long and filled with nice people from all over the Midlands, the venue was interesting and fun, and the food was excellent, of course. We got ours to go, and I hid in a corner of the LCTC complex, so as not to embarrass myself woofing down a pile of brisket like a golden retriever. Highly recommend!
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