Senior Statement - Silas Martin

Silas has been a four year player for the Bruins, and one who from the beginning has been a person of joy for our team. He has always had some awesome tennis strengths, good spinny serve, big forehand and quick reflexes for the net. His personality has always been one that creates fun for the Bruins though, from his helicopter hat to the way that he builds up his tennis brothers.

I have so many awesome memories of Silas as a tennis player. He has an impressive record, and will likely end the season in the top 5 for JV victories. He also wins a high percentage of his matches. Yet, what I will remember is the crazy moments. Moments where he flies back and forth across the net, to get 1, then 2, then 3 overheads and finally puts it away when falling down. Moments when he booms a big ace or smashes a forehand down the line for the winner. Moments when his overhead hits the top of his racket and spins off at a weird angle for a winner.

I remember those moments not only because they are awesome, but also because of Silas’s reactions. He always looks immediately for someone to share those moments with. Usually he’s laughing, with a hand trying to cover up his smile. But he goes and finds his doubles partner and says, “Did you see that?” He’s a person who is often ready to share the joy.

There’s a humility to that, that Silas doesn’t take any of this too seriously. For our team, that helps take the pressure off. We know that we can win or lose, and we’ll still probably come off the court to find Silas wearing a helicopter hat and smiling about something that just happened. He’ll tell us about it and we’ll get to share in the laughter together. But he’s a friend who lifts up the mood, wherever he goes. Like last season when he and his partner had a poor first set against Goshen, so he broke out the hat for the first time. It lightened the tension, and he and his partner began to play better. It became so much of a symbol for Silas that he wanted to wear it for senior photos this year. But it is representative of something true in Silas, something that I find in this verse,

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.

Silas brings others into our team and our culture. If they are down, he picks them up. He knows that in tennis, two is better than one, which is why he often likes to play doubles. It’s why he’s always looking to tell a story, describe something silly, or just enjoy the matches. I have always appreciated this about Silas.