Student Snapshot: Kotaro Maizuru

Playing on a Different Court

By: Adrianna Hanzak

While playing on a school team, whether it is a big event or small, the travel time to reach the far games at an away field or court can be long and reach lengths that are less than thrilling to the players. But for sophomore Kotaro Maizuru, the distance from the home court has a whole new meaning. Leaving his family and friends at home in Japan, Kotaro enrolled at Madison High School, seeing new faces,  making new friends and enjoying the friendly interactions he had with strangers and friends on a daily basis. This is something he had said was  he enjoys about his time spent here. 

With his time spent perfecting his skill on the court and his love for the sport, Kotaro has easily become the player who won the most matches on the Madison team, becoming the best player on the school's boys tennis team and earning recognition from the coach himself.
Kataro had started on his tennis career in the seventh grade, but had not enjoyed the sport in the beginning.  As he developed a much higher skill level then he started out with, he also developed a love for the sport.  It's a love he shares with his father. 
With as much skill as he has on the court, it is natural that he prefers to play singles.  Playing one on one gives him the opportunity to push himself more than he would be capable of if he were to play doubles with a teammate at his side. With the skill he has and the experiences that he has had on the team, it is not at all surprising that when asked what his most memorable moment that he has experienced at Madison High School was the tennis team.