- November 4, 2024
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When Dominic Davis was 6 years old, she wrote her first book and play, all while getting better at tennis. Fast forward 10 years, and she’s reaped the fruits of her early practices, winning two district championships, the only Matanzas girl to do so, and multiple local awards from the NAACP for filmmaking, playwriting, essay writing and short stories.
Still engaged in all those projects, while dual-enrolled at Daytona State College, Davis recognized the heavy work load and the pressure she faced this season as the No. 1 player on the team last year, so before the season started, she decided to give the top spot to the Lady Pirates’ next best player, Peyton Haney. The champ voluntarily became the No. 2 player.
“I knew I was going to be extremely busy, and I would only be able to attend two practices, so I didn’t think it would be fair,” Davis recalled. “I remember when we lost our conference finals match because one of our girls couldn’t play, due to not being able to practice, so I decided not to be the No. 1 seed. I didn’t give it to Peyton; she beat out everyone else. She’s a sophomore, and now she has time to learn.”
“I think it was a good decision,” Haney said. “Dominic is an amazing player and teammate. I’m definitely thankful she gave me this opportunity while she was still here. It made the transition process a lot easier on me because she was there to help me through a lot of it.”
Haney also mentioned how she was able to form new bonds with the team as the new leader.
While she may not have been present at every practice, due to her schedule, Davis still spent her time around her teammates as a lead instructor. She taught them techniques and gave them pointers about the game that she has learned over the years. The young Lady Pirates had a rocky season, but after its conclusion, Davis was able to look back on her final year and see the growth in all the players.
“I’m not going to be here next year, so I have to help them,” she said. “Our record may not be so great, but they got so much better from the start of the season.”
One of Davis’ best memories this season took place two weeks ago, when the girls played against the boys team.
“What I found out is that girls are more violent than boys,” she said. “When the boys would miss the ball, we would scream, ‘Yeah, you suck,’ and we would miss the ball, we would scream at each other, ‘What are you doing with your life?’ It was fun. We were violent but together. We lost, but it was still a good bonding moment.”
The tennis season is now over, and Davis has no idea what she eventually wants to become with her myriad talents.
“It’s not from a lack of opportunities but too many,” she said. “I can become so many things in this world.”
