By Samantha Matson
Staff Writer
Last July, Costa lost one of its own.
Mason Zisette, a varsity doubles tennis player on the Mira Costa boys tennis team, passed away after an unfortunate accident. The boys tennis team, working together with the Zisette family, decided to paint a mural in honor of Zisette’s commitment to Costa and the tennis team.
“The season is dedicated to Mason,” coach Joe Ciasulli said. “We had a small ceremony on the first day of practice, which was basically just for the tennis team and the parents. All the players will also be wearing a commemorative patch that says ‘MZ’ on their uniforms.”
The mural is currently sketched on the south wall of court three. According to Ciasulli, the third court is the most played on court and is the most visible court from the bleachers at the tennis courts. In addition, all introductions for tennis matches at Costa take place on this court.
“We wanted a mural because that will last for a long time, and it is something that will remind us of Mason everyday,” junior Tanner Suard said. “This mural will forever remind us of Mason and how much he impacted our lives. He was a role model, not just for me, but for the entire team. He was an amazing friend who always had my back, and he definitely deserves recognition for the joy he contributed to both the team and to the world.”
Various designs were under consideration for the mural, and because the mural had to be unanimously approved by Mira Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale and the school board, the process could have taken more time to be completed. However, the mural has already been approved and sketched on to the wall, and they hope to have it done by the start of the tennis season.
“I think the artwork for this mural is fantastic,” Dale said. “I think this is well deserved since Mason was a great Mustang who represented our school well. While only time can help with the grieving process, I think that this will be a nice way for his friends, family, and other Costa students to remember him and feel that his memory is being honored appropriately by all.”
Local artist Stephanie Kracht will paint the mural. The team worked with Zisette’s family and chose an image that they feel will properly represent Zisette.
“Since the mural is depicting an individual student, both myself and the school board had to approve the design,” Dale said. “We were able to approve the mural quickly, which will hopefully give them enough time to paint the mural before the season starts.”
The mural will be silhouettes of Mason’s unique forehand form at different points of his swing. According to junior Blake Suard, this swing was unique to Zisette and will be easy to recognize for those who knew him. Along with the various silhouettes, there will be a quote on the wall that reads “Champions are made when nobody is watching.”
“For the community, I hope the mural will be a sign of all the great things that Mason brought us, including happiness, fun, joy, love, and friendship,” Suard said. “I hope that for both the Costa community and the tennis team, our shared experiences with Mason will bring us closer together, and I hope it will inspire us all to be better people and bring joy into others’ lives like Mason did.”
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