This Saturday, April 28, the girls tennis team will be hosting a round robin tournament to raise money for the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund. All varsity teams are required to complete a community service project, and the senior tennis captains wished to do something in Astley’s honor.
“We’re there for Lauren,” senior captain Katrina Gaddis said. “We’re there to celebrate her and remember her through something that’s fun and something that she would have enjoyed.”
Gaddis and fellow senior captains Emma Barton and Dina Berdichevsky have been marketing the tournament throughout the community. They hope that people of all skill levels and even those who didn’t know Astley attend.
“It’s a gathering of the community as opposed to it being restricted to our tennis team,” said Gaddis.
38 teams of doubles are currently signed up to play from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. The players include Astley’s father, Wayland high school students, parents and students from other schools. In the round robin, the teams will engage in friendly matches against each other.
“I think that an event like this will definitely put smiles on people’s faces,” Athletic Director Justice Smith said.
When the tennis team played Westford Academy on April 24, the opposing team gave a $100 donation to the Lauren Astley Memorial Fund. The Westford Academy coach told the team that she remembered Astley’s laughter.
“It’s interesting to see how people remember her in their own way and how they are reaching out and contributing to this,” said Gaddis.
“She was a great teammate and a great competitor,” Wayland’s tennis coach Erin Reeves said. “She brought a lot of spunk to this team, and everyone got along with her, and she’s sorely missed.”
Anyone is welcome to join the tournament. Those who wish to sign up as a pair or receive a partner for the tournament should contact [email protected].