Despite controversy over the suspension of the men’s tennis team at City College, team captain and international student Soufiane El Mhamdi keeps his spirits high about the team’s upcoming season.
El Mhamdi is originally from Khouribga, Morocco and now lives in downtown Santa Barbara. He studies as an English as a second language student and is also the only returning player for the men’s tennis team this year.
“I learned how to play tennis against a clay wall,” El Mhamdi said. “There was no actual coach; it was kind of like I was teaching myself.”
He started playing tennis when he was eight years old and learned most of his skills from watching others. In the ninth grade, he asked his parents to make a financial sacrifice for him so that he could finally get some real training for the sport.
El Mhamdi’s parents supported his love of tennis, and as an underclassman he would ride a train 80 miles on weekends to work with new players and coaches.
“School is really hard in Morocco,” El Mhamdi said. “My junior and senior year I didn’t play as well, it was too hard to play tennis a lot and also do well in school.”
When he graduated high school in 2009, his plan was to move to France for college. However, his friend Dib Yassine, a computer science major at Bakersfield College, was moving to Santa Barbara for tennis, and he began thinking about the possibility of moving to America as well.
“Santa Barbara is a beautiful place,” Yassine said. “Everything is nice there. The education programs are very strong and it’s a great place to go to school.”
Never having thought of moving to America before, El Mhamdi said within two months of being in the English as a Second Language program English started “getting really easy.”
The men’s tennis team at City College is full of international students. Because of this, the returning rate of the team is very low, and the stats aren’t always the highest. This year with a new coach, the players are ready to have the best season they’ve had in a long time.
“Last year we had a good players, but we could have done a lot better,” he said. “It was too mellow, and this year it looks a lot better already.”
If the Vaqueros beat rival teams L.A. Pierce and Ventura, El Mhamdi says a Western State Conference title is “a possibility.”
Lance Kronberg was named the new head coach at the beginning of the year.
“We have a new coach with a new philosophy,” he said. “He puts in so much effort and cares so much about the players.”
After the news of the suspension, players and alumni were puzzled as to the real reason behind the cut.
After the resignation, players were told too many international students play on the team, and that it affects the local interest of the sport.
“And now it’s the academics,” El Mhamdi said. “But I don’t see how, last year the team had 6 honors students, and 2 players that graduated with A.A. degrees.
“… Tennis is a big sport in the community, so many people are upset about the team’s suspension, and there will be a lot of protesting from the community before it’s official,” he said.
El Mhamdi hopes to win a state conference title during his last semester at City College. As team captain he feels confident that he will be able to lead the team in the right direction.
“Soufiane is a strong player, and he’s very good at defense,” Yassine said. “He always wants to take one for the team and do whatever it takes to win every game.”
El Mhamdi will receive two associate degrees this May in economics and liberal arts and sciences. He hopes to transfer to San Diego State University next fall to play tennis, and begin working on his business and administration degree.
