As far as high school regrets go, so far junior Payton Riker has little to worry about. A second year tennis player, her biggest high school regret is starting tennis her sophomore year–she wishes she had started sooner.

Payton has played a variety of sports in her life, including soccer, gymnastics, softball, and volleyball. However, her favorite has been tennis.

“My favorite aspect of tennis is how we win and lose as a team. Especially this year, the coaches have been emphasising that we are a team and we need to be there to support and cheer for each other.” said Payton.

This idea of team plays into her preference for playing doubles versus singles. She says it feels more like a team sport when playing with a partner.

“I preferred singles because that’s a game where if you lose there’s no one to blame but yourself.” Payton said. Sophomore year, Payton started out tennis playing singles. She preferred the fact that she wouldn’t be letting a partner down if she didn’t play well.

“However, this year I play doubles with the best partner I could ask for, Laura Maranta. I couldn’t get mad at her for anything. We just work so well together, and I’m so glad we got paired up this last summer during tennis camp.” Payton said.

Payton’s experiences on tennis have been the highlight of her high school career, and she feels lucky to have had these opportunities. When asked if she’ll play again next year, she answered yes without a pause.

“We went on a Varsity team bonding trip in September to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. That was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had. It was just so enjoyable bonding with my team.” Payton said. She looks forward to the end of this season and the next to spend with her team.