By: STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
Annette Lira’s relationship with tennis is complicated.
The Brownsville Veterans Memorial senior excelled at the sport, and capped her high school career as the District 32-5A individual champion, helping the Lady Chargers capture the team title.
But growing up, Lira struggled to find peers to play the sport that she loved.
Tennis was the reason why she found herself surrounded by friends and family on Wednesday in the school’s auditorium as she signed her intent to play at Prairie View A&M – the first ever Brownsville Veterans athlete to play women’s tennis at the Division I level.
“At first,it was frustrating because I felt that I couldn’t do it,” Lira said. “Every single day, I wanted to be better and better, and that’s what made me get to where I am right now.”
Lira said she will study mechanical engineering and business at Prairie View, which is located 50 miles northeast of Houston. The Panthers compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Lira came to Brownsville Veterans to start her sophomore year at the same time as her coach, Leo Casanova. Casanova was seriously considering Lira for the No. 1 spot until UIL transfer rules mandated that the TAPPS state champion at Athlos (now Brownsville Jubilee) play out the season with the junior varsity.
“That right there showed that she really loved the sport,” Casanova said. “It didn’t matter if she was playing varsity or JV, she just loved being out there and competing.”
Merely competing was not enough for Lira. She took pride in her school and the coaching staff that helped give her a chance and Casanova said she talked about playing in college as soon as she stepped on campus.
“Ever since she got here, she’s tried to sell the sport,” Casanova said. “She’s been an ambassador here for tennis.”
Lira’s story cannot be told without Seferino Couoh, the director of the Brownsville Tennis Center who tutored Lira since she began playing competitively at 11 years old.
“Where I am right now, it’s because of him,” Lira said. “He pushed me to be really good, and he’s an amazing teacher.”
Lira’s desire to impact her community may be the most significant development of a historic day for her and the program. She intends to reflect the values instilled in her by her father Francois Lira and mother Betzabe Lira, and apply the lessons she learned from Couoh and Casanova.
“She’s a very talented girl,” Couoh said. “I’m very happy she’s doing what she’s doing. She’s a good asset to the community.”
During a speech in an auditorium full of her classmates as well as BISD dignitaries like board member Erasmo Castro, Lira appealed directly to her peers, artfully acknowledging the difficulty of her efforts to promote tennis amongst the program’s more popular team sports. She tearfully described the elation of defeating a top-seeded opponent in a San Antonio tournament that predated her high school success and laid the foundation for her career.
The tennis scene in Brownsville has improved during Lira’s time with the Lady Chargers, with additional opportunities and sources of inspiration. Middle school camps at the Tennis Center that were not available to Lira or her younger sister at the have since returned, and the Western Athletic Conference tournament made its second appearance in Brownsville in April. But Lira also understands that the general lack of interest is the fundamental problem, and that her accomplishments have provided her with a platform to help solve it.
“It needs to grow more,” Lira said. “We need more coaches, we need to bring more people to play… Tennis will teach you how to be yourself. That match (in San Antonio) defined who I am.”