![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Families that play together stay together
Grandfather-grandson duo take their talents to the Mac tennis courts after years of side-by-side training
Dave Winter
Sophomore Andrew Lavine playing at the varsity tennis team’s challenge match on Sept. 1. Lavine’s powerful tennis skills and laid-back attitude have endeared Lavine to his teammates. “He’s humble, even though his skills are crazy good,” senior co-captain Liliana Rodriguez said. “He always is down-to-earth and would never want to make anyone feel like he’s better than us.”
October 14, 2022
Sophomore Andrew Lavine was practically born with a racket in his hand. He’s been playing tennis alongside his grandfather, Juan Bracho, for his whole life. And now that Lavine has grown up and earned himself the No. 1 spot on the McCallum varsity team, his grandfather is still beside him.
“I was happy he could help the team out,” Lavine said. “I was so happy he could share his knowledge and experience and make the team better.”
Since the end of last year, Bracho has been putting his 39 years of teaching experience to use by helping to coach the McCallum tennis team alongside new coach Mike McLaughlin. Tennis has been part of Bracho’s life since he was 10 years old, when he happened to catch the eye of Stan Smith during the Davis Cup in Mexico City.
“I went to watch Stan Smith play during the practices,” Bracho said. “He served a serve so fast the ball ended up going outside the bounds of the court. I went and I reached out for the ball, and I must have given Stan Smith a good impression or something. He turned around, grabbed a pen, and he gave me an autographed ball. When he gave me that ball, I was like, ‘Alright, I want to play tennis.’”
Bracho’s passion for the sport is, it seems, a family trait. Lavine began playing tennis competitively when he was 9. Although Lavine plays Universal Tennis (UTR) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments outside of school, joining the McCallum team provided a new opportunity to improve his game. And this time, Lavine isn’t the only player to benefit from Bracho’s tutelage.
“He just makes the team better with the knowledge he has about the game,” Lavine said. “He has given better technique to everyone [and implemented] a fair ladder system to make the starting lineups. If you beat someone, you take their spot [on the ladder], and the highest spots get on varsity.”
Senior co-varsity captain Liliana Rodriguez feels that Bracho’s unique coaching style is a boon for the team as a whole.
“He takes the time to walk us through a lot of the skills verbally, which is kind of good because tennis is not just a physical game,” Rodriquez said. “It’s also a mental game and to have that side of the sport really taught to us is nice.”
Bracho’s experience with the sport is invaluable to head coach Mike McLaughlin, who began coaching the team for the first time this year. But to McLaughlin, Bracho isn’t the only one on his family tree making the team stronger.
“[Lavine]’s just got power,” McLaughlin said. “His serve is really powerful. And he just seems pretty consistent as a player.”
But Lavine is more than just a great tennis player; he’s an inspiration to his teammates.
“He’s humble, even though his skills are crazy good,” Rodriguez said. “He always is down-to-earth and would never want to make anyone feel like he’s better than us.”
Though Andrew is only a sophomore, it’s clear that his impact on the team will continue to grow throughout his time on the team.
“I think he’s gonna be a great leader,” McLaughlin said. “[He inspires] the rest of the team to really work hard and do their best. He would definitely make a great captain because of his personality and his enthusiasm for tennis.”
Although Lavine’s passion for the sport is shared by his grandfather, Bracho is careful not to force it.
“It’s not me wanting him to play tennis, it’s him wanting to play tennis,” Bracho said. “That was one of the things that we established from the very beginning. There are so many parents that live vicariously through their kids. That’s not the case with us. If Andrew decides not to play tennis anymore, that’s his decision. It’s his life and his game.”
There’s no telling what’s in store for Lavine’s future with tennis, but Bracho believes Lavine has the potential to play at the college level. But no matter where the sport takes them, one thing will never change: Bracho will always be by Lavine’s side. This sentiment has become more literal with the pair working and playing together on the same courts.
“We became closer as a family [by] working with each other day in and day out,” Lavine said. “I’m really grateful to have him to help me out every day. It means everything.”
This story was originally published on The Shield Online on October 10, 2022.
