Senior Statement: Theo Siemens-Rhodes

Another hard worker of the Bethany team, Theo has put in great work to get to where he is on the team. Last year, he played #1 doubles on the JV for most of the year, and we would have guessed that he would slide into that spot on the varsity. Instead, he worked hard and earned a singles spot that he has been holding down most of the year.

Theo is a thinker. I often have told him this year that his best strengths are his head and his heart. He can figure out his opponent’s weaknesses, given time, and can find a way to exploit them. So many matches this year he has started out slow, only to find ways to compete as they went on. Which has been impressive, because I don’t think there has ever been a year where our #2S player has had to play so many players with #1S experience.

And yet, Theo has stayed patient and worked at it with effort and intelligence. That is so much of what Theo brings to our team, his patience. He stays calm despite desperately trying to figure things out. On the outside, he is quick witted and funny. He is often quick to make connections and try new things. That has made him really wonderful to coach. He is willing to dive into a new strategy and evaluate it, to see if it works and how it will bring success.

He’s done that for our team as well. I loved that earlier in the season, after a difficult defeat, he stopped me in the dark parking lot and asked if I would consider a new drill. He thought that it might help us. He wanted to try it out. We did, and it became a new favorite of the team.

I value Theo’s intelligence and honesty, and his ability to think through so many things - both on the tennis court and in life. He is reasonable, practical, and a joy to work with on this team.

Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21
Don’t treat wisdom with contempt, but test everything and hold on to what is good.