The Becker Bulldog tennis team will have plenty of new faces on the team and a few stalwarts as they enter the 2015 season with high hopes.
Returning to the team will be six seniors including singles and doubles stars in Olivia Hultgren, Rachel Lukkarilla, Madison Anderson, Ashley Souba, Amanda Lindsay and Amanda Brown. But Head Coach Nate Bucher will be turning to his youthful up-and-comers to fill out his roster and make his team competitive for 2015.
“Once we have a depth chart, we then have to really look at how people work together in pairs when it comes to doubles,” he said. “Sometimes chemistry counts for more than straight skill and ability.”
Bucher’s team voted to have Hultgren, Lukkarilla and Anderson named captains and Bucher appreciates their leadership and tutoring involvement.
“The girls (Lukkarilla, Hultgren and Anderson) have really been an extension of our coaching staff,” he said. “I run a lot of things by them and give them a lot of ownership, so they know it’s their team and the other girls also look to them with trust and confidence.”
Bucher, who is in his second year as head coach after taking over for Rob Olson in 2013, has been involved in several capacities with the Becker High School tennis program since 2006. Olson is now one of Bucher’s assistant coaches as well as Megan Borkoski — a Becker kindergarten teacher who has also been involved in Becker tennis for the last 10 years or so.
Bucher has learned to be the best coach he can by learning from his past coaches who all had a positive influence on his life.
“I learned about how to compete, how to work hard and how to be a person of integrity,” Bucher said. “Last year, I actually called my high school tennis coach and thanked him and we were able to talk quite a bit about coaching perspectives.”
Some of those perspectives include giving heed to one’s strengths and weaknesses — an area not many coaches want to explore.
“Some of my strengths are being able to relate to the athletes and encourage them to meet their potential as an athlete,” Bucher says. “One of my weaknesses is that I'm still young in my head coaching experience.”
Every year, Bucher has high expectations for his girls because the Bulldog tennis program has a very good tradition of having athletes with great character who are also great students. He says he expects his team to always act with great respect win or lose.
Bucher is also not afraid to confront the athletes to help them improve or make them aware of where they stand on the team’s depth chart.
“I try to be very up front on where I see everyone on the team and try to show them how they can improve and where they can best achieve,” he says. “It’s through continued hard work and skill improvement. With tennis, we try to be very clear about where everyone stands top to bottom so they know where they are at.”
Bucher hopes his coaching ethic and standards stick with his athletes long after they’ve left the Becker area and begin adult life. His ultimate hope is for his kids to appreciate his and his coaches’ efforts year-in and year-out.
“I hope that former players see that I care about them and hope that — through tennis — they grow into great people,” he said.
Bucher’s current roster is set with the following: Lukkarilla, Hultgren, Anderson, Abbey Robinson, Ally Kangas, Amanda Brown, Amanda Lindsay, Anna Ritchie, Ashley Souba, Blair Pappenfus, Dana Johnson, Hannah Bengtson, Laura Niday, Megan Nelson and Taylor Pawlicki.
The girls begin the regular season Aug. 27 at Melrose, Aug. 29 at St. Cloud Tech, Aug. 31 at Brainerd, Sept. 3 at home versus Big Lake, Sept. 10 at Foley, Sept. 12 at Monticello, Sept. 15 at home versus Mora, Sept. 17 at Pierz, Sept. 19 at Buffalo, Sept. 21 at home versus Pine City, Sept. 24 at Little Falls, Sept. 29 at Aitkin, Oct. 3 at home versus Aitkin and Oct. 5 at home versus STMA.
Melrose 4, Becker 3
Olivia Hultgren won her match at #1 singles, but the Bulldogs lost a close match Thursday afternoon to Melrose by one point.
Haley Hoppe of Melrose won at #3 singles and Mady Brinkman and her partner Beckey Klaphake defeated Becker’s Maddie Anderson and Anna Ritchie at #1 doubles to take the nonconference match.
