Gaal siblings serve aces on the court, tunes on the piano

By Stacy Cruz
Staff Writer

After hitting, running, and sweating on the tennis court all day, siblings junior Alex Gaal and sophomore Amy Gaal set down their racquets to perform melodies on the piano at a competitive level.

Alex and Amy Gaal are both ranked number one on Costa’s varsity tennis teams and are also county-ranked pianists. Both siblings have played tennis for the last 10 years and piano for 11.

“When we were young, our parents would set up cribs on the tennis court, and we would watch our parents play,” Amy Gaal said. “I think tennis has affected my upbringing and made me really competitive in every aspect of life.”

Since they picked up the sport, both siblings have played club team tennis outside of school. According to Amy, tennis workouts, private lessons, practice matches, and tournaments fill the majority of her available free time. After so many years of dedication, both siblings hope to play at reputable colleges in the near future.

“My ultimate goal for my future in tennis is to get a scholarship and play for a Division I university,” Amy Gaal said. “Piano is mentally challenging, while tennis allows me to release physical energy and get some exercise at the same time.”

While success in tennis can be measured by points and matches won, success in piano is measured by certificates of merit, exams that move pianists onto a higher theory level. Amy is currently on the ninth level, while Alex is on the tenth and highest level.

“Winning piano competitions is very rewarding because we have to spend countless hours every day practicing and perfecting our pieces,” Amy Gaal said. “Since we are already dedicating this much time and effort to it, we might as well accomplish something and earn a trophy to show our hard work.”

According to Alex, balancing tennis and piano is both difficult and time-consuming. Amy usually dedicates around an hour and a half to practicing piano and two to three hours to tennis daily. Tournaments take up most of the siblings’ weekends, and there are four major piano competitions that Amy and Alex participate in over the course of each year.

“It’s hard to find the delicate balance between maintaining our social lives and being a top competitor,” Amy said. “I rarely have time to hang out with my friends on the weekends, but it’s worth it in the end because I love all the competition, and it’s great exercise.”