Athletes like James Benien invest a lot of time and effort so that they can be their best when it comes time to compete. While practice and working out are important, James works on his tennis game at RH91 Tennis Center, where he says he has grown a lot as a tennis player.

“It has taken a lot of hard work and so many hours on the court to be successful,” he stated. “I’ve been hitting at RH since I was in the sixth grade. RH and the coaches there have had the biggest impact on my game and my growth as a person. I owe a lot to the program, Jim Sawinski, Matias, and the players at RH that have pushed me to train harder and push myself to become the best version of myself.”

Benien is a senior at Cascia Hall Preparatory School. Along with playing tennis for the Commandos, he is also involved in the Investors Club and he also helps out with sixth-grade tennis players on Sundays.

Throughout his life, there have been a number of people that have had an impact on his life, but he has a couple of people that have had the most influence on him.

“My biggest role model is my dad,” James said. “He is very smart and successful, he works very hard and I can only hope to have his determination when I grow up. My mom is also a very big role model in my life because she also works very hard to support our family.”

James has enjoyed some great moments in his career, but he says that seeing his hard work pay off in a tournament was his favorite.

“The highlight in my career as a player was when I played in a very big tournament at La Fortune,” he said. “I got third place and beat some of the best players I ever have.”

Competing for Cascia Hall is something that James takes pride in and wants to do his best every time he steps on the court. “It means a lot to me to represent my school. I feel like I am carrying all of Cascia’s pride and honor. I want to do well for my team and I try to hold myself to a high standard.