As Father Daniel Velasco, pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, stands on the spongey court of the Rebsamen Tennis Center Oct. 10, he adjusts his hat to block the sun, tapping his clipboard as eight boys gather around.
Father Velasco tells the students, in sixth through eighth grades, who is playing against who and on which court.
Father Velasco started the Holy Souls School tennis team in August. And while the tennis team and league are not regulated by the Arkansas Activities Association, the team has given students an opportunity to try their hand at a new sport and make friends with students from other schools.
“We started this year, thanks to some volunteers who helped me coordinate and talk to the other coaches,” he said. “…I’m in charge of the lineups. There’s a lot of coordination that takes place behind the scenes. We have some parents who step up and that’s the reason we’re able to do it.”
Father Velasco said the Holy Souls team will play informally against Pulaski County private schools, including Anthony School, Pulaski Academy and Episcopal Collegiate School.
On Oct. 10, the Holy Souls team, in their white tennis uniforms, squared off against St. Anthony School in bright red, spanning four adjoining courts for their matches.
“This is our third match,” Father Velasco said. “We played against Anthony School last week, then we played against Little Rock Christian Academy last Tuesday. This is our third match and we’re playing against Anthony again. I think we’re going to have about six matches total.”
For Father Velasco, tennis is much more than a hobby.
“It is definitely a lot of fun,” he said. “Because, as some people may know, I played college tennis.”
Originally from Puebla, Mexico, Father Velasco’s tennis skills brought him to the United States in 1993 when the tennis coach of Harding University in Searcy was impressed with his skills during a recruiting trip and offered him a scholarship. He played with the Harding tennis team for four years until he graduated in 1997. Since his ordination in 2020, Father Velasco has encouraged students and parishioners to take up tennis.
In 2021 and 2022, Father Velasco, who was then chaplain at Trinity School in Fort Smith, helped coach the middle school’s coed tennis team of 15 players to win the championship.
His talents as a coach were reflected Oct. 10, as several teams showcased impressive volleys and even rallied from behind to win their matches.
Doubles partners sixth-grader Tucker Norton and eighth-grader Cade Cosse were losing to Anthony School 4-2 when the two came back and won their match in a 7-point tiebreak. The tiebreak offered the Holy Souls players a learning opportunity, as parents and Father Velasco taught the students the rules of the tiebreak as they played since the students had never played one before.
“I just really like the sport; it’s fun to play,” Norton told Arkansas Catholic after winning his match. “I think I did OK, but I could have done better.”
Norton’s mother, Barrett, who plays tennis, helped teach students on both teams how to play the 7-point tiebreak. She said Holy Souls played well, noting that the atmosphere isn’t about winning but about having fun.
“They have that camaraderie with teammates and get along and talk,” Barrett Norton said.
Norton’s teammate, Cosse, analyzed Norton’s and his performance after the match.
“I feel like we could have done better, we definitely could have swung for the ball more,” he said. “Overall, we played really well, and I told (Norton), ‘Don’t give up,’ because they were beating us, and I was like, ‘We’re going to beat them,’ and we did. We just had to stick to it.”
Cosse, who has been playing tennis for four years, said the sport as a whole is about mental endurance just as much as physical endurance.
“Listen to your coach,” he advised new players. “It’s a very frustrating sport. It’s very mental. It will get to your head. You have to stay cool, be strong.”
Father Velasco said the tennis matches have provided a great opportunity for players to make friends and build their skills.
“We are playing against other schools that have some kids playing tennis, and we’re in agreement to play each other and have fun,” he said. “There’s no trophy, but I like to keep the score in my notes. It’s given me an opportunity to interact with the kids in a different environment. Of course, I’m still their pastor, but at the tennis court, I’m their coach, and they listen, and they are good kids.”
