Foothill’s Cavan makes spirited return to court

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2000 | 10:46 a.m.

When Kim Cavan learned that she wouldn't be permitted to play tennis -- the sport she'd loved since age 10 -- for new Foothill High School last year, it would have been easy for her to hang her head.

Instead, she began to cheer.

Told that she was ineligible to participate in sports for one full year after transferring from Silverado to Foothill, Cavan made the most of her situation, signing up to be a cheerleader for the Falcons.

One year later, the senior is back on the court, where she has led her Foothill girls tennis squad to a 4-0 start. And while Cavan is glad to be back on familiar footing, she says she wouldn't trade last year's experience for anything.

"I wouldn't have done it any other way," Cavan said. "I had to make up my mind that I wasn't going to let it affect the rest of my year."

To the contrary, Cavan's cheerleading stint gave her a new sense of school spirit, which ultimately led her to run for student body president, a position she currently holds. It also made her appreciate her time with her Foothill tennis teammates, creating a close-knit environment -- to which coach Lisa Cano attributes much of her team's success.

"Our team is really a family unit, and having Kim as a leader has been a tremendous asset," Cano said. "The girls admire her game, but she never tries to demonstrate that she's better than the rest of the team. She's very encouraging."

Four years ago, Cavan emerged as a budding prep star at Silverado, qualifying for the 4A state tournament in her first high school season. The following season, she continued to be a force on the local tennis scene, falling just short of a second straight state berth.

Early in her sophomore year, Cavan received a letter informing her that she had the option to transfer to a brand new school in 1999. She and her parents opted to decline -- a decision they would soon come to regret.

"I met with (Foothill principal Bob) Johns and Ms. Cano, and I realized there would be good opportunities for me here and smaller class size, so I decided I wanted to come here," Cavan said.

But because the Cavans had opted against the transfer initially, Kim learned that she would be ineligible to play sports at Foothill -- tennis or otherwise .

"I had made up my mind that it would be better for me here," Cavan said. "And I made up my mind that I wouldn't let it ruin my year."

Instead, Cavan signed on to be a cheerleader, and soon came to love her new extra-curricular activity.

"It was fun. I had never done anything like that," Cavan said. "I have a lot more interest in school sports because of it, a lot more pride in my school."

Still, Cavan's competitive spirit yearned for a return to tennis. Though she continued playing in Inter-Mountain tournaments outside of school, her thoughts turned to her senior year, when she could finally play for the Falcons.

"It was frustrating," Cavan admitted. "I was really looking forward to it, and I missed it. Cheerleading was great, but I'm a competitive person."

Cavan's return to the court has been nothing short of perfection. She has yet to drop a single game, going 54-0 in her team's four matches and making her opponents wish she was still on the sideline, cheering her teammates on.

"She took a negative experience and turned it into a positive one," Cano said. "It's not often you find high school kids who do that."