An outpouring of interest has led to the reinstatement of the J. Taylor Finley Middle School girls’ tennis team for the coming fall season. Huntington UFSD announced it was considering reestablishing the program and asked parents to send a message if their child was interested in playing. The response was overwhelming. Now reinstatement of the Finley’s boys’ tennis team for next spring is also possible.
The district posted announcements on its website and Facebook page about the possible reinstatement of the Finley girls’ tennis program should there be enough interest. It’s now clear; the interest is there. Woodhull School physical education Eric Triolo is returning as the team’s coach. A 10 meet schedule has been issued by Section XI. It looks like a great year lies ahead.
Finley’s three court tennis complex was renovated this summer. Cracks in the courts were fixed and the entire complex was resurfaced and striped. It looks like new. Nets will be reinstalled soon.
Are there enough incoming seventh and eighth grade boys to reestablish a Finley boys’ team? A meet includes four singles matches and three doubles matches so a team requires at least 10 players. That’s the minimum. Ideally there would be even more players on the roster.
If enough boys come forward and express interest in playing, Huntington UFSD plans to reinstate the team. Practices will be held Monday through Friday on the Finley tennis courts. A 10 meet schedule will be played against local middle school teams.
Incoming seventh and eighth grade parents can send a message to Huntington athletic director Jim Hoops (jhoops@hufsd.edu) to indicate their son is interested in playing tennis for Finley.