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Sunday, June 1, 2008
All in the Family
Fort Worth, TX
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By: Mark Wright
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Photo(s) By: Nicole Bolls
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To say Nolan tennis is a family affair would be an understatement.
Sisters Stephanie and Catherine Hunter have a special sisterly bond. And that’s a good thing – unless you’re talking about doubles tennis.
Spend a few minutes talking with the Hunters and it’s clear they have a relationship that resembles best friends more than siblings. When the sisters were doubles partners on the Nolan Catholic girls tennis team in 2007, the Lady Vikings struggled a bit compared with recent seasons.
This year, things are back on track and the Hunters are a big reason why. In April, the Nolan girls captured the 2008 state team tennis title in class 6A of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. It was the team’s third title in four years.
What led Nolan to make a dramatic improvement from one season to the next? The Hunters have a theory.
“The difference this year is I think the doubles teams are …” Stephanie Hunter, a senior, said, pausing as if to weigh her words carefully.
“Well put together,” said Catherine Hunter, a junior.
OK. So maybe the Hunters play best when they are paired with other players instead of each other. “Last year, we kind of clashed – a lot,” Stephanie Hunter said.
You can’t distance too much from family when you play for the Nolan tennis team. Stephanie Hunter reached the state doubles semifinals this season playing alongside cousin Laura Jacobi, a freshman. The Hunters and Jacobi are also the cousins of Nolan boys players Joey and David Caero. And that’s not the only family connection in the Nolan tennis program. Unrelated to the Caero cousins, the Buell twins, Tom and Steve, star on the boys team.
“It’s quite a family affair for them,” Nolan girls tennis coach Gaye Houk said of the Caeros.
The Caero tennis legacy at Nolan dates back to the 1970s, when all six children of Fort Worth residents Jose and Janet Caero starred at the school. Five of the six now-grown children live in the same Ridglea Hills neighborhood as their parents. The other sibling lives in Houston and has a daughter who stars on the Houston St. Pius tennis team.
The first generation produced several state title winners at Nolan and college tennis standouts at Texas Christian University. But the family’s second generation of tennis stars – Jose and Janet Caero have 21 grandchildren – is arguably making an even bigger mark on the Nolan tennis program than the previous one.
“We’re all pretty competitive,” Tricia Hunter, formerly Caero, the mother of Stephanie and Catherine, said of her siblings. “But the cousins are a little more competitive.”
However, even competitors have their limits. In the district meet, Catherine Hunter and playing partner Helena Birdsell found themselves matched up in the finals against Stephanie Hunter and Jacobi. Catherine Hunter, who lost out to her sister and cousin, said she gave her usual effort, but had mixed feelings.
“There’s definitely something different about it because I’m playing against people I see every day,” she said. “I don’t want to make them feel bad. But at the same time, I’d still like to hit a great shot.”
Tricia Hunter said it can be just as difficult to be a spectator in a match between family members, so she roots for Nolan rather than a particular player.
“It was pretty hard to keep track of who was doing well,” she said. “Everyone hit a great shot. We just say, ‘Go blue and white.’”
Stephanie Hunter’s competitive tennis career is likely coming to a close. Stephanie, who plans to go into the nursing field, will attend the University of New Mexico in the fall on an academic scholarship. Finishing on top was extra sweet, she said, considering that other Nolan sports teams fell just short of winning state championships.
“It was really cool actually because this year all the sports teams finished second but us,” Stephanie Hunter said. “Nobody pays attention to tennis much, so it was awesome.”
Nolan tennis should continue garnering attention for years to come. Among the reasons for optimism is freshman singles player Marcelli Magday, who advanced to the championship match of the state tournament. Another returning player will be Catherine Hunter, who like her older sister, made it to the state double semifinals. Jacobi plays in the U.S. Tennis Association 14s super champ division and has displayed the potential to be as good as older sister Elizabeth, who during her time at Nolan won a singles state title and paired with cousin Jennifer Caero for a doubles title.
“The exciting thing for us is we only had one senior,” Houk said. “We have a lot of youth on this team and we’re very excited about that.”
Stephanie Hunter, who would like to have a family of her own someday, said she envisions the Caero tennis legacy carrying over to a third generation.
“They’re going to live in the same neighborhood and they’re going to go to Nolan and play tennis,” she said.
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