Photo of Lady Rams league tennis champions speaks louder than words in telling team’s story
October 25, 2023 at 11:39 p.m.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and the Port Chester pride that emanates from the accompanying historic Lady Rams tennis team photo and everyone connected to the team says all you need to know—or almost all—about the school's first team in recent history to win a league championship at the varsity level.
The racqueteers were an undefeated 6-0 in developmental league play against teams like Mount Vernon, East Ramapo/Spring Valley and Woodlands, the team they had to beat in the final match of the regular league season to clinch the title. And the Lady Rams did it the hard way after losing the first two singles matches with Brooke Federice starting the comeback by winning the third singles match and the Rams winning three of the last four matches. It all came down to the last doubles match and Lucia Giordano and Sanai Cooper won it going away in the clutch the first time they had ever played together.
The inspired moments
There were other inspired moments throughout the season, from speed merchants Casey Schultz and Juliana Castillo losing just once during the entire season at second doubles to co-captains Fatima Coyt and Natalie Barreto setting the example for the team as members of the National Honor Society while also being among the squad’s most important players. Kimberly Maldonado, another co-captain, went 6-1 on the season playing first singles in only her second season of playing competitive tennis after teaming with Barreto last year as one of the school's best-ever doubles teams.
But what made head Lady Rams retiring tennis coach Manny Martinez most proud was the fact that his team never quit, no matter what happened, and a diverse squad comprised of 41 players, many of whom had never played the game before, became undefeated league champions. And while those players had varying degrees of skill, from beginner to experienced, some didn't know the scoring difference from deuce and advantage because they had very few advantages growing up and learned how to compete in what is considered an upscale, country club sport.
Story behind photo
To Martinez, who couldn't speak English when his family came here from Cuba after fleeing the Castro regime and grew up without having a dime, knows very well what that lack of advantage means. Yet he went on to become a respected Port Chester educator and coach with 38 years in the classroom and 35 years as a basketball coach in Port Chester and Rye Brook while building the Lady Rams tennis team into a winner over the past six years. And that too means a lot because he and his tennis team went out winners in his last hurrah as a coach. So the historic photo accompanying this story is worth a thousand words. But the text helps understand how far these girls and their coach have come.
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