Like the captains of other high school sports teams, a tennis team captain is responsible for a variety of on-court and off-court aspects of the team's season. Depending on the school's resources and coach's philosophy, a high school tennis team captain can be a symbolic figure or an active participant in coordinating practices, matches and other team activities.
Acting as a Conduit
One of the responsibilities of a team captain is to act as a messenger between team members and the coach. Individual players might not want to confront a coach, so having a captain with whom they can air their grievances gives the coach the opportunity to receive news he otherwise might not. The team captain can request anonymous surveys or agree to discuss concerns with the coach, protecting the identity of players. Be prepared for complaints about players' position in the lineup or touchy subjects, such as one partner not wanting to play with another.
Helping with Practices
Some coaches might not be able to attend all practices or work with the entire group during a full practice. For this reason, some tennis team captains are responsible for organizing warmups before practices or leading conditioning and stretching after practices. The captain also can coordinate drills or practice matches if the coach is not present. If the coach is not a tennis player or has not coached before, the team captain might be responsible for choosing drills and practice match pairing. The captain might be responsible for ensuring that all equipment is collected and properly stored after each practice.
Handling Administrative Duties
If the team does not have a manager, a captain might be responsible for team communications, signing out equipment or reporting scores to the league office or local media. She also might be assigned the task of collecting forms from players, such as physicals or permission slips.
Acting as a Role Model
A team captain in any sport is expected to be an objective leader. This means treating all players fairly, avoiding negative talk about teammates and encouraging better players or more popular classmates to treat all team members as equals. A tennis team captain should make sure that all players drill and play with and against each other during practices. If asked, a team captain should suggest lineups that put the best players in order, regardless of his personal relationships with certain players. A captain should ensure that during school hours and off-campus, all team members interact in a supportive manner. This means defending teammates when others gossip or bully them, and including teammates in some social events.
Getting the Position
A team captain can be appointed by the coach or elected by teammates. To select the best person for the job through an election, a coach should provide a written description of the position, then let the team work together for a week before the election. This will let teammates get to know each other and help them make their decision. If the coach appoints a captain, he should use objective, announced criteria to avoid the appearance of favoritism.
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