Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Charlie Parker, and Branford Marsalis. These selected names are legendary saxophone musicians and extraordinary tennis players.
Sophomore Jaxon Gerding unites both of these complex yet different worlds. It is intriguing how a sophomore can perfect the physical art of a sport and the crafty works of an instrument whose popularity slices in and out of existence.
Balancing both worlds is no easy task because both require immense commitment and dedication.
Northwest’s Wind Ensemble requires a live audition before band director Bryan Mangiavellano. Although it is typical for sophomores to try out for Wind Ensemble, Gerding had no issue paving the way for his seat.
Similarly, nationally recognized bands like the New York Philharmonic require winning a competition that consists of a nationally advertised audition.
“But it’s very rare that you have saxophones in orchestras,” said Gerding. “I could do stuff singing-wise, but when it comes to band, it’s just not much of a thing.”
Although we may not see Gerding in a world-famous orchestra, he does play locally.
“I tend to play a lot of things for my local church, but other than that, probably not anything too big,” said Gerding.
Wind Ensemble has mentored a talented saxophonist in Gerding, so his audition for section leader will be without conflict. Half of the requirements for auditioning for section leader include a verbal audition before Mangiavellano.
Communicating with a portion of the band will not be a problem because of Gerding’s ability to work together, especially on the tennis courts.
Tennis is a consistent battle mentally and physically. Gerding made the four-doubles spot on the varsity tennis team, his first year playing tennis.
The character he developed from the summer training landed him right in contention for the final varsity spots.
“What was complicated with Jaxon actually was singles wise he beat a lot of guys, in doubles, being a new player it’s harder to learn,” said tennis head coach Devin Robinson. “At the end of the day, it came back to ‘who was going to be the best team player?’ ‘who was going to have the best character?’ ‘who’s going to encourage their partner when they’re up or down?’ That basically for me put Jaxon automatically in,” said Robinson.
Tennis greats like Federer are often credited with having the “perfect game.” However, the journeys of these stars are frequently overlooked. Many of them started playing the sport at ages four to ten.
The challenges and criteria for becoming a professional tennis player struck Gerding in his first year. However, due to his perseverance, Gerding’s dedication to the sport caused great fortune throughout the season.
Spending countless hours on the court during and after practice, giving it his complete all, battling every point during matches, communicating with teammates, and never giving up has crafted a phenomenal young star in Gerding as a tennis player.
Gerding plans to pick up his racket for his junior and senior years as soon as possible.
“As soon as the courts get put back up, I’m 100% going to go out and start hitting,” said Gerding.
During the start of the tennis season, Gerding faced conflicts in his schedule trying to pair band and tennis practice.
“The biggest challenge for sure would be time management,” said Gerding. “The biggest way to manage them is you have to talk about it beforehand. … You have to be proactive, you have to be ready, and you have to be prepared.”
In addition to being in Vocal Dimension, Northwest’s best choir program, participating in a crucial role in the musical, and being an advanced academic student, Gerding showcases his eligibility to compete in several different activities simultaneously all while under pressure.
Jaxon Gerding is still only a sophomore. He has two more years to master the arts of music and tennis. In college, we may see Gerding play at a professional level. Either way, keep your eyes peeled for this phenomenon around Northwest High School.
