Senior Statement - Ender Finnigan

Ender joined the tennis team  his sophomore year, and he came in and got to work. He’s always had an eager spirit, and a huge love of crushing his forehand. I remember seeing him wearing an Alcaraz jersey, a professional player known for his athletic, fast paced forehands and knew that this must be inspiring Ender. He’s also had a flair for some of the most dramatic matches that we’ve had over the past couple of years, always seeming to find himself in a match that is going right down to the wire.

But those are the kind of matches that are a lot of fun, and Ender is a fun player to watch. My favorite tennis memories for him over the years involve those fun shots. This year, crushing some epic serves with Silas at Oak Farm. Or last year at Fairfield where he and Josiah had two epic matches and he hustled like a crazy person. I know he had a super successful day at the East Noble JV Invitational last year, taking 3 wins including one in a tiebreak. And here’s a cool stat... Ender has an undefeated varsity record, 4-0.

The most enduring quality over Ender’s time with Bethany has been his voice. Ender is an encourager, and I can constantly hear him calling out encouragement throughout the matches and in my video editing. This year at tennis camp, we had a player who had to leave early and I watched Ender pull him aside just to be sure that this player knew how much Ender enjoyed getting to know him and have him at camp. He is an enthusiastic and heartfelt in his thankfulness, and he showed that at camp during our devotional times. He is just the most encouraging person, and truly commits himself to the good of his teammates. He is the person of the kind word, that picks up everyone else. Just on Friday, he ran over to Judah during a changeover and told him he could do it!

Ender helps ease and cheer everyone's hearts, that’s why I chose this as a blessing/gratefulness verse...

Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety weighs down the heart,
but a kind word cheers it up.

My prayer is that Ender not only continues to be the person of the kind word, but hears the kind word for himself. That when he is weighed down, he allows a kind word to make its way into his own heart. I am so grateful for all that Ender has meant to Bethany Christian tennis, and the long impact that his encouraging words will have on us all. We will miss his voice in many ways!