WOODLAND HILLS — El Camino Real girls tennis coach Jason Grider could hardly contain the joy he felt the day he returned to the school campus.
“I remember the excitement when I came back,” Grider said. “When you’re gone, you feel isolated. And so coming back, to have that remembrance, it really shows who is supportive of you and it makes you feel good.”
Grider, his family and the tennis team’s players went through nearly a month of turmoil to start the school year. Grider was suspended without pay, along with two other El Camino Real coaches, while the school conducted an investigation into the Red Cross certification cards turned in by the three coaches.
El Camino Real senior Keira Gysin remembers the uncertainty felt by her and her teammates during that time.
“It was pretty hard because we didn’t have a lot of information,” Gysin said. “We asked and (administrators) weren’t allowed to give us information.”
The school eventually allowed Grider and the other two coaches, baseball coach Josh Lienhard and girls soccer coach Eric Choi, to return in the middle of September with the investigation still ongoing.
Grider received “welcome back” text messages and hugs from the players for El Camino Real, whose season looked to be in doubt after reaching the CIF Open Division final against Palisades a year ago.
“After everything I’ve been through this year, it’s awesome to have a return to normalcy,” Grider said. “Just knowing I could come back to this team, who has been super supportive of me. That’s the number one thing you’re fighting for, is to come back and be there with them.”
While Grider was away from the team, the work for El Camino Real’s girls tennis team never stopped. Gysin and senior Kemi Ojomoh made sure the team kept practicing.
Ojomoh developed a work ethic parallel to the athletic background she grew up with. She was taught to throw jabs and hooks by her father Joseph, who is a boxing trainer at Powerbox Warrior Training in Woodland Hills.
“When I was 6 and 7 years old, I played tennis,” Ojomoh said. “But when I was younger, I played so many other sports that tennis wasn’t really my focus. Sometimes to get out of boxing, I would go to the courts to play. I just didn’t want to do boxing.”
While her passion wasn’t geared toward throwing punches, the same work ethic, discipline and determination carried into her love of tennis. She stayed after tennis practice and used the school’s handball courts to hit balls and work on serves.
“Kemi is always willing to stay late,” Gysin said, “and we are playing games and matches. It motivates everyone to stay late and practice.”
Over the years, Ojomoh would often practice for hours. Grider had to sometimes intervene and make sure she was getting rest.
Ojomoh’s work ethic became so noted that she began pushing members of the boys team as well.
The El Camino Real boys tennis team coined the term “Kemi Strong” to describe how hard each player — male or female — should be practicing.
“It doesn’t matter,” Grider said. “Kemi is the first one on the court and the last one to leave. If she doesn’t have a partner, she’s down there hitting against the wall and doing the boring stuff. If you’re putting in the hours hitting against the wall, doing the work stuff, then you’re putting in the work.
“Doing the boring stuff is what escalates you to being a top competitor in a sport like tennis.”
Ojomoh and Gysin kept practices competitive, and now they’re hoping to return El Camino Real to the CIF LA City Section final.
Junior Tanya Katakewar said she has noticed a shift in her performance in the weeks since Grider’s return.
“I trust myself more in a match,” Katakewar said. “Just making sure I shouldn’t just take a safe option. Making sure I’m taking those harder shots and letting myself finish the point faster.”
Gysin is glad the team’s focus is back on tennis.
“We were in the dark a little bit,” Gysin said. “It was pretty hard as captains trying to figure out how to navigate practice and what to do without a coach. But things are better now.”