For Snyder the Team Comes First

For senior captain Justin Snyder, the Westfield Blue Devils boy's tennis team is as important to him as anyone or anything else. He doesn't care about personal goals or achievements, only about the goals and achievements of the team.

This seems like a cliché in sports. Players always say they don't care about individual statistics or accomplishments, then do things on and off the field that show they really do care about the stat sheet.

When you talk with Snyder, however, you just have to believe him when he says it isn't about himself.

"I didn't really have any personal goals going into the season, says Snyder. "For me, it's all about the team, the team is first. The only time I think about myself is when I think of whatever I got to do to help the team."

Snyder, who will be attending Johns Hopkins University in the fall, also breaks the mold of today's athlete in another way. When talking to him, the key to the season isn't something he did on the court, but the addition the tennis team got in the middle of the season.

"Before the season Adam had the hip surgery which was a huge loss," said Snyder, "so we didn't really know how far we were going to go. The team really gained momentum when Adam came back."

The season was obviously a success with the team winning a state championship, but when Snyder talks about the excitement and amazement with the season, he tips his hat to Westifeld's opponents in the process.

"This year was pretty remarkable, said Snyder. "We had to go through some top teams to win the Tournament of Champions. We played a lot of matches in a short amount of time. At any point we could have fallen but pulled through."

Most importantly to Snyder, the success of the season as well as his entire high school career was shared with the other captains; Scott Bernstein, Graeme Stahl, and Reich.

"The four of us have a unique, special relationship," said Bernstein. "We hang out a lot and are all best friends."

Editor's Note: This is the second in a four part series on the captains of the 2010 state champion Westfield High School boys tennis team.

Download the movie