Since he was two years old, Scott Danforth ’17 could be found with a racket in his hand. His mom, who played tennis at the University of Virginia, “was always getting [him] out on the court when [he] was young and [he] just loved it.” Danforth began developing his game by playing competitively in USTA 10-and-under tournaments and used time during the summer to practice his skills. In seventh grade, Danforth transitioned to playing competitively year-round.
Scott Danforth ‘17 serving during practice
When it came time for Danforth to take his talent to the high school level, he realized that boarding school would be best for him. After visiting a variety of schools, Danforth decided that Deerfield was the right fit. To Danforth, Deerfield’s main draw was mentor, coach, and Deerfield legend: Mr. Jay Morsman ’55. Danforth remembers Mr. Morsman sitting him down when he visited campus and simply “telling stories of his previous fifty years at the school.” These stories and memories both inspired and excited Danforth to become a part of the community.
Although there were some challenges in continuing to train year-round in a boarding school environment, Danforth was quick to thank various members of the Deerfield community for helping him in his endeavors, such as Tim Wondoloski and former Amherst women’s tennis coach Mollie Domain.
Danforth’s favorite part of playing tennis at Deerfield is the team itself. He explained, “[The team has] kids from all over the place: China, Texas, Norway, Florida, and we all have a great time and have good teammate chemistry.”
As a tennis player, Danforth has earned a reputation for not only his “tenacity on the court,” as teammate Tom Slack ’17 put it, but also the focus he puts into each and every game and practice.
As Danforth enters his final season of tennis here at Deerfield, the emotions do seem to run high, but unsurprisingly, he is focused on achieving goals both personally and for the team as well. His aspirations are quite simple. He desires to “get some wins for the team” by consistently performing to the best of his ability. With regards to the goals that Danforth has for the team, he hopes to win New Englands and also “have fun and improve as a team.” With a few matches behind them, Danforth and the tennis team seem to be electric with energy in anticipation of a new season beginning and are sure to excite the Deerfield community in the coming weeks.