Sehome’s Brugge and McNamee focus on keeping tennis fun

When Wyatt Brugge is not teaching elementary students Spanish or studying for AP chemistry and Sam McNamee has time away from the math and science clubs he is a member of, the two form a dynamic duo on the tennis court.

Brugge and McNamee are juniors at Sehome High School and good friends. They are recognizable by their signature bucket hats on the court and animal-like playing abilities.

Question: What is your favorite thing about your doubles partner?

Answer: Wyatt: It’s fun reflecting on the game afterward. We can laugh about how we got mad, how we calmed down and it got better. ... During the game it is fun because he will get mad and I’ll calm him down. Then I’ll get mad and he’ll calm me down. It’s just a way that it works out for us really well.

Sam: He usually is able to keep it cool, be nice and relaxed. Sometimes it can be like yin and yang, I can get a little fired up and he is there to cool me down. That’s always good, he’s just nice and consistent.

Q: Do you have any funny stories from playing tennis?

A: Wyatt: Sometimes, when for some reason playing normally just isn’t working for us, we will say different animals to act like while we are playing. Like rhino, that’s a go-to. Ape, like gorilla ape, that’s definitely a good one. For some reason channeling all our focus into enacting this animal, it really channels our tennis.

Sam: Wyatt and I, we wear bucket hats to every tennis match. It kind of started off as a joke because I had this really lame green bucket hat that my mom had and I wore it one time.

Q: What is your least favorite class in school?

A: Wyatt: American Studies online. I went into it thinking it would be really easy but the assignments add up.

Sam: I’m going to have to agree with Wyatt on the American Studies online class just because it is a lot more work than I thought it would be and I’m just not that interested in history.

Q: What is your favorite thing about the game?

A: Wyatt: (Tennis is) really lively. You always have to be paying attention. I guess that’s with most sports but for some reason with, just the energy involved, it’s kind of different. It’s awesome.

Sam: I like the fact that, for doubles at least, it’s just you and your partner. How you play depends on you. It’s mental, you can see how it depends on how much work you put in, and that is reflected in the game and your attitude.

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Sehome’s Brugge and McNamee focus on keeping tennis fun."