There are very few bonds like those created when someone belongs to a sports team.

It takes a dedicated and committed person to be part of a team.

Unfortunately, sometimes the commitment made by certain athletes early in the season doesn’t hold up all the way through to the end.

Late last week, tennis player Kristle Davis decided to quit the tennis team because she “couldn’t commit.”

It is reasonable for any student athlete to have a personal emergency that might require them to be absent for a set amount of time.

Such situations can, and are, difficult to deal with.

Focusing on a task is not simple when a person has his or her mind on things other than being committed to the team; however, quitting the team before the season ends is a slap to the face to the fellow athletes and the coaches.

Keeping up with work, family, school and practice is demanding.

Student athletes are among the hardest working students on every college campus.

Still, many young athletes take on the challenge of intercollegiate sports in spite of any personal problems they may face.

The number of student athletes who suffer personal set- backs during their season is not as small as people may think, yet these students finish the task they promised to fulfill when joining their respective teams.

Granted, there are circumstances where quitting is justified, such as an illness or a death in the family, but leaving the team because a player “couldn’t commit” is not a legitimate excuse.

At the beginning of the semester, a student already has a general idea of what his or her obligations will be for the next four months.

If there are work issues, family issues or just time issues, then the responsibility of committing to a team should not be undertaken.

With the absence of Davis, considered the No. 1 player on the women’s tennis team, everyone else is going to have to fill in the void she left behind.

The loss of a leader and good player will also affect the sports program.

EC’s tennis team has always had a reputation for being highly competitive.

Losing such an important element won’t destroy the team’s ability to win, but it certainly will have an impact on it.

Now, because of one player’s lack of commitment, every member of the tennis team is going to have to work harder to fill the void.

Davis might have a legitimate reason for leaving.

However, all she told her teammates was that she couldn’t commit.

That isn’t a legitimate reason to justify quitting.

When reached for comment, Davis refused to answer any questions our reporter had and she never returned our calls.

Davis needs to be responsible, face the situation she has created and give everyone involved a legitimate answer to her unexpected departure.

Her behavior so far hasn’t resembled that of a responsible person.