For most tennis teams, rain signals the beginning of a dreary afternoon, no practice and the general pallor of dull Seattle weather. But for the Liberty boys tennis team, the rain indicates the advent of something else: chess.
“In tennis, you need strategy, so our coach wants us to play chess to practice thinking one step ahead,” senior co-captain Philip Lee said.
On rainy days when practice is canceled, head coach Mike Salokas has his tennis players practice chess inside, a game plan which has helped build closer relationships between players on the team.
“Chess has definitely strengthened relationships on the team because you have to work with a partner,” senior co-captain Connor Hunt said. “We’ve got a lot of potential, and we’re really looking at improving from tennis hitters to tennis players.”