Monica Lavertu is a senior and has played tennis at Franklin Pierce all four years. She will be graduating in the spring and plans on going to Franklin Pierce’s Graduate Studies for physical therapy. I got the chance to ask her a few questions about tennis, school, and her life.
Amelia- Where are you from?
Monica- Berlin, NH.
Amelia- When is your birthday, and how old are you?
Monica- My birthday is October 9, and I am 21.
Amelia- How did you start playing tennis?
Monica- I wanted to play a sport in High school and had basically tried every other sport offered in my town. One day, my best friend said that she was going to take tennis lessons and try out for the team and I decided to follow suit.
Amelia- Do you like playing tennis?
Monica- I love playing tennis. I really enjoy being part of a team and tennis is pretty awesome in that respect, because the teams are generally small, therefore everyone can really get to know each other.
Amelia- Do you like that it is an individual sport rather than a team sport? And if so, any reason why?
Monica- I play both singles and doubles so it ends up being an individual and team sport. I do like playing individually, because then only you are responsible for the outcome-- you can't really blame anyone else or get blamed by anyone else for mistakes or losses.
Amelia- Do you play any other sports?
Monica- I don't play any other sports on a team. I'll play pretty much anything just for fun, but I don't really have time in my schedule to play any other team sports.
Amelia- Do you participate in any other activities in or out of school? Do you have any hobbies?
Monica- I pretty much only play tennis both in and out of school. As far as hobbies though, I really enjoy music. I play flute, piano, and guitar, as well as sing.
Amelia- What is your favorite artist/band?
Monica- I don't know that I can name a favorite artist or band. I like mostly everything and am not very fussy about who sings it as long as it sounds good. I can tell you, though, that my favorite type of music is anything that you can dance to!
Monica-
My favorite part of tennis is just the competition and my team. Especially this year; we actually have a chance at winning, and our new coach is AWESOME!
Amelia- What is your number on the team?
Monica- On the team there are 6 singles positions and 3 doubles teams. I play either number 5 or number 6 (depending on who else is going to the match) and I play number 3 doubles.
Amelia- What are you excited to do/accomplish this tennis season?
Monica- I'm pretty much just excited to see how far we can go. The past few years have been kind of rough as far as our level of competition. I think this year the dynamic of the team and the skill of our coach actually have prepped us for a more successful season.
Amelia- How did you prepare for this tennis season? When did you start preparing?
Monica- I prepare for the tennis season by playing tennis over the summer with some of my family or friends. I also maintain my physical condition by running and going to the gym regularly. Once I'm back at school we meet as a team at least 3 times a week during pre-season just to get some good hitting in, and I go to the gym at least 5 times a week.
Amelia- Do you have a tennis hero? Someone you look up to, a famous tennis player?)
Monica- Not really. Like I said before, I only started playing tennis because my best friend was doing it in High school and I wanted to play a sport too. I wouldn't say that I was inspired to play tennis due to some famous tennis influence.
Amelia- How do you prepare for a match?
Monica- Before a match it's all about getting in a good mental state. Tennis is a very mental sport and requires you to be both physically fit and mentally stable. To get in this zone I usually just like to relax and listen to music. I get myself pumped up and ready to give each point my all.
Amelia- Do you have a best friend on the tennis team?
Monica- My best friend is actually my roommate: Bianca LaPointe. We play doubles together on the team.
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