ANAHEIM – Prior to her senior year at Esperanza, Chelsea Parker had never played tennis.
A former volleyball player and member of the Aztecs swim team, Parker hadn’t even considered picking up a racket.
That was until her best friend, Morgan Wilson, told her the sport would be another opportunity for the inseparable duo to hang out.
“We did everything together,” Parker explained. “We started taking yoga over the summer. We took classes together. In third grade we even had our teacher sit us next to each other because we had ‘learning problems’ if we weren’t close to the other.
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“So when Morgan said, ‘Chelsea, play tennis with me,’ I was like, ‘It’s senior year. Why not?’”
The morning of July 8 was the first day Parker joined Wilson, the team’s captain, on the tennis courts.
Later that day, Wilson, 17, was preparing for a private training session at Boysen Park, across from the Anaheim Tennis Center when she suffered cardiac arrest.
After being placed in a medically induced coma at the UC Irvine Medical Center, Wilson passed away eight days later, surrounded by family and friends.
“Morgan was the sweetest person,” said teammate Lauren Tarbell, who was with Wilson at Boysen Park on July 8. “She always had inspiring words. It’s a bit tough coming out here (to practice) every day because you just wonder, ‘What would it be like if she was on the court?’”
It’s a sentiment shared by every member of the Aztecs tennis team. As good a tennis player as Wilson was, she was by all accounts an even better person, evident by the amount of support the Esperanza program has seen these past two months.
The entire El Dorado tennis team showed up at a prayer service held for Wilson the day after she collapsed. Villa Park’s players made and presented the Aztecs with commemorative “M.W.” patches that have been placed on the girls’ jerseys.
On Wednesday afternoon, before a nonleague match, Woodbridge’s varsity squad handed their opponents white ribbons made specifically in memory of Morgan.
“Obviously these schools will hear about what happened, but you never expect someone to go out of their way and take time out of their day to make a ribbon or make a patch,” Parker said. “It’s just super cool, and we’ll wear them throughout the year.”
A large picture of Wilson has been placed inside Esperanza’s tennis facility, overlooking a handful of courts where the Aztecs practice and play their home matches.
The Aztecs also plan to bring Morgan’s racket to their matches this season.
Like the ribbons, the patches and the photo, Wilson’s racket will serve as a reminder that the team’s captain will always be with them.
“She was a great kid,” said Coach Steven Bambauer. “She was the leader of our team, and I have nothing but positive things to say about her.
“You just never think something like this can happen at your school or to someone on your team. It was so sudden and unbelievable. It didn’t hit me hard all at once. But as time goes on, and with the season starting, it hits you more and more.”
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
