For senior Andre Parham, tennis is a family tradition, and competing is a way of life. Andre Parham has owned a tennis racket since he was barely walking. From a young age, he hit with his dad, who played at Wofford College, and uncle, who played at Davidson College. His grandfather was a four-time recipient of the National Tennis Coach of the Year and is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. It’s safe to say that tennis runs in the Parham family.
In seventh grade, Parham started to take tennis seriously. He had always loved basketball but was fascinated by the one on one aspect of tennis. He shifted his focus from one court to another and has never looked back.
As he transitioned into Freshman year at Boulder High, Parham didn’t really know what to expect. “I was new to the scene and people didn’t know much about me”, Parham says. Despite coming in under the radar, he got the role of one singles, the most coveted spot on the team. It was a big challenge for Parham, and ultimately, he struggled. He went 7-17 in his first season.
Parham came into sophomore year determined to improve from the previous year. However, three of the players on the team, who had worked especially hard over the summer, ousted Andre for the singles spots. He was moved down to one doubles, which is effectively the fourth line on the team. He learned that he couldn’t take his spot for granted, and that motivated him for the years to come. He says that “The score starts 0-0 for a reason, you always have to show up and compete”.
But what looked like a step backward for Parham’s tennis development ended up being a big step forward. As one teammate put it, “Andre came into his freshman year already facing the challenge of having to be a leader”. He didn’t quite have the confidence to be able to step into that position. In his sophomore year, though, playing alongside a teammate helped uber-competitive Parham to better understand where he fit in on the team. He matured greatly on and off the court, and finished the season 5th in the state at one doubles.
Parham worked very hard over the following summer, and regained the one singles role as a Junior. Now a much improved tennis player and a capable leader, he was named team captain. He had a respectable season, with nine wins and six losses. Beyond this, he became a role model for many of the younger guys on the team with his constant positive energy and encouragement. Calvin Harvey ‘27 said that as a freshman, “Andre was a big inspiration”. He explained that he really looked up to him as a player, and Parham’s leadership skills were instrumental in his improvement.
Parham has begun his senior year hot. He’s 7-1 so far, but he humbly admitted that the competition he faces will only get better. On the court, Parham is laser focused. He tries to play the match one point at a time, and not let his mind wander. This has helped him when he is winning big, losing big, or playing a nailbiter of a match: Just focus on the next shot ahead of him.
Andre’s super excited to show what he can do come September 10th, which is the night of the Boulder-Fairview match. While he may be buddies with a lot of the guys on the Fairview team, it won’t affect his gameplan. He shares, “I’m good friends with a lot of these guys off the court, but we have, like, a pretty competitive relationship”. Parham wants to win at all costs, no matter the opponent. Bruno Damrauer, ‘26, echoes this thought. He says that “Andre is special in the way that he can be fierce and ruthless on court, and be your best friend after the match is over”.
This is exactly what Parham exhibited in his first home match of the year against Erie. He dominated the opposing singles player, winning every game of the match, and then chatted with him happily after it was all over.
Parham wants to continue his love for the game by playing at the collegiate level, and through his passion, competitiveness, and leadership, he’s right on track to do so.
