Harris Sinclair is in his first season as a member of the CHS boys tennis squad. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
“I’m sort of just here to have a good time.”
Coupeville High School junior Harris Sinclair is deep into his first season with the Wolf boys tennis team (“I’ve played for about 50 days”) and the laid-back, brainy netter has shown growth and improvement every step of the way.
But, while he’d like to play varsity as a senior, enjoying his time on the courts is more important than any transient success.
“I just want to have fun this year,” Sinclair said. “I started playing tennis because I don’t spend a lot of time talking to people normally, and this gives good human interaction.”
Before Thursday’s match against Klahowya, he gently razzed teammate Jakobi Baumann, then later moved court-to-court, rooting for his teammates.
When he’s on the court himself, the one-on-one battle (or two-on-two, in a doubles match) intrigues him.
“As much as I enjoy the team aspect, I like the silent respect and struggle between myself and my opponents,” Sinclair said.
With more matches under his belt, the net ace is fine-tuning his strengths and discovering areas he wants to work on with every new day.
“I’m much more comfortable in the front of the court towards the net,” Sinclair said. “It’s fun to play in the back, but it’s very easy to hit it out.
“My current goal is to improve my serves,” he added. “As they don’t always go where I want them to.”
Away from the hard-court, Sinclair is equally busy, with stints in Science Olympiad, pep/marching band and National Honor Society.
He favors sci-fi films and has an eye on a career in the video game biz.
“I want to go into game design,” Sinclair said. “It’s something that I have a passion for and am good at.”
With his film interests, he needs some reality mixed in with his fantasy.
“As far as favorite movie, that’s a difficult one,” Sinclair said. “The closest I can get is science fiction, especially the grittier-feeling ones like Star Wars, Serenity and Aliens, because they feel more authentic.”
Whether he’s mixing lobs with backhands, working on a science project or wailing away in band, there’s one person who looms large for the young Wolf, someone who is always there to give him support.
“My dad, definitely. We don’t always see eye-to-eye, however, I’ve always looked up to him and valued his advice.”
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