Tell somebody that the Women’s Tennis Team is the best team at GCC this season and they probably would not believe you. Well, believe it or not, the Women’s Tennis Team is as talented as it has been in years and it starts with one of the best doubles teams in the league.
Tennis players Cindy Gomez and Debbie Martin have made the GCC women’s tennis team a force to be reckoned with this season. Gomez and Martin play doubles together, which has definitely not been good news for opponents.
The two players have caused problems to their opponents by their use of speed, power and finesse. Both players bring something different to the team.
Gomez has been playing tennis for 13 years – the last two years with the GCC team. Not playing tennis is not something that she has thought about. “It’s something that I love to do. I love the enjoyment, and I love the competition of the sport,” Gomez said.
Gomez makes sure she has fun while playing and always stays a step ahead of her opponent while taking part in a match. “I don’t look at each of my opponents differently. In tennis, you are only playing against your racket and the ball. If you are playing well, then it doesn’t matter how good or how bad the opponent is playing,” Gomez said.
A match that stands out in her mind is her match against the top player on the Ventura team last year.
Even though Gomez lost the match, she still remembers it as if it was yesterday. The [Ventura] player was at the top of her game, and was defeating her other opponents with little difficulty, but Gomez took her deep into their match and gave her opponent her toughest competition.
This type of determination shows that Gomez is a good player and can play well against other top players in the league. Games ending in a win for Gomez are a dime a dozen as she is known across the league as one of the best players.
Her doubles partner has been playing for 10 years. She, like Gomez, is going to keep playing tennis, and enjoying it.
To Martin playing tennis is similar to going to therapy because if she is in a bad mood, she can play tennis and feel better.
Martin is in her first year on the GCC team, and she will be the first to say that she has felt right at home from day one.
“Coach [Terry] Coblentz and the whole team accepted me with open arms,” Martin said. “They made me feel comfortable, and gave me a chance to do what I do best, which is to play tennis.”
Unlike Gomez, Martin tends to show emotion when facing an opponent, even though she tries not too.
“An opponent can take advantage when you show them that you are disappointed in a match,” Martin said. “I have to be patient, and think before every shot. It is a mental sport. It’s easy to lose a match if you let your emotions take the best of you.”
One thing she won’t try to hide is her enjoyment when playing tennis.
“No matter what happens I will always be smiling and laughing when I am on the tennis courts, Martin said, the same goes for Cindy. We have lots of fun playing tennis.”
Put the two of them together and you have one unstoppable, dynamic duo. Gomez brings the veteran leadership and the consistency, while Martin adds the power and quickness.
Gomez and Martin have great chemistry when it comes to playing doubles. The two have not been playing very long together but they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“We just make each other look good and we compliment each others games,” Gomez said.
While they compliment each other well, the two players said that if it were not for the team, they would not be where they are. They both agree that Coach Coblentz is one of the main reasons they are on the tennis team.
Having these two talented players and a great team around them gives GCC a good chance of going deep into the playoffs and winning a championship.