From their unconventional monikers to similar athletic penchants, seniors Melody and Joycelyn Chen may easily be mistaken as sisters on the court.
Granted, the Chens of the girls tennis team are inseparable in many ways—they are friends, they are teammates, and essentially, they are rivals on court. Upon closer inspection, however, one could conclude that Melody and Joycelyn are far from being related. Rather, they are two very distinct, yet equally remarkable, student-athletes who proudly represent Diamond Bar High School athletics.
For both Melody and Joycelyn, their tennis careers didn’t come unexpectedly. Melody began her athletic career as an ice skater, but later resorted to playing tennis in fourth grade after she had to quit due to personal problems. Her transition between two sports came smoothly as both required attention to detail and controlled aggression in performance.
Joycelyn, on the other hand, began playing tennis when she was in fourth grade at a community class, following in the footsteps of her brother, Austin Chen. Austin was also an accomplished tennis player at DBHS before graduating in 2010.
Both made the varsity tennis team as freshmen, an incredible feat at DBHS due to the abundance of talented players. The two, in addition to junior Evelyn Wang, were instated as co-captains this year.
“As the captains of the team, we have a lot of responsibilities. Overall, we have to be a leader, because a lot of our younger players lack motivation sometimes,” Melody commented.
To emphasize the captains’ impact on team’s unity, Joycelyn added, “You are in it together to win it. Everyone contributes to our goal.”
Before they were promoted to team captains, Joycelyn and Melody brought tremendous accomplishments to the team over the course of three years as players.
To list a few, Melody played #1 Singles her freshman year and received the MVP award of the Sierra League. In her sophomore year, Melody qualified for CIF Individuals and also played a critical role in leading the team to CIF quarterfinals. She made the transition to playing doubles her junior year.
Joycelyn was crowned the semifinalist in Sierra League playoffs as she played number 1 doubles her freshman year. Joycelyn was also named the MVP and Doubles Champion of the Hacienda League her sophomore year, as she only lost one game. Joycelyn is currently number 2 doubles with her partner, senior Christina Georgescu.
Both players are currently spending two to five hours a day in practice to prepare for the upcoming challenges in the season. They are responsible for leading the team to CIF, and ultimately the Finals. So far, their league record is 10-1.
“Our goal this year is definitely securing our title in league,” Joycelyn commented.
Besides being great athletes with respectable character, the Chens are gifted students as well.
Melody is taking four AP courses this year, and despite her rigorous schedule, she maintains a 3.8 unweighted GPA. She also dedicates her time serving as a board member of UNICEF, a relatively new organization on campus. She is unsure of playing collegiate tennis, but would like to major in Business or Communications.
With a 3.95 unweighted GPA, Joycelyn is enrolled in five AP courses this year. She is also the president of Orphanage Club, where she organizes projects such as providing clean syringe needles to impoverished countries. Joycelyn has also pained Top Ten three consecutive years. Despite her current passion for tennis, she does not plan to play collegiate tennis.
Beneath their modest exteriors, Joycelyn and Melody Chen are commendable student-athletes. Their admirable dedication to Brahma athletics and academics are the epitome of what every Brahma should strive to achieve.