Northampton's Geoff Rybitski plans to return to Bethlehem's Sand Island in a few weeks for the same summer job he had last year.

He is also optimistic the two-month stint can provide the same benefits it did for him last year.

As a result of both playing, working, and instructing last summer, Rybitski believed his summer gig helped him advance his high school career, one that proved to be a recently concluded senior season with the Konkrete Kids.

Rybitsky, the team's number-one singles player, finished the year with an overall record of 12-4 and netted a fourth-place seed in the Lehigh Valley Conference (LVC) tournament. However, he dropped a first round match in the LVC tournament as well as the PIAA District 11 singles tournament. He also paired with Josh Schoenberger to win a first-round district doubles match before the pair lost in the quarterfinal round.

Still, it was a rewarding year for Rybitski.

"My job last year at Sand Island really helped me improve my game," he stated. "I gave lessons, but I also had to chance to play a lot more than I ever did. In fact, I even ended up talking to myself as I worked on different part of my game. I worked as hard as I ever did with tennis and I put in a few extra weeks before the season started.

"When I look back, everything I did last summer really helped."

His experience at Sand Island wasn't the first one. While in middle school, Rybitski began playing some late-night matches there with his cousin Mark Dumoff, who is five years older than him.

"He (Dumoff) worked until 11 on weekends and call me to see if I wanted to play some tennis under the lights," said Rybitski. "It was a lot of fun and I began learning about the game. That's when I started playing (tennis) and play intramurals. Afterwards, I figured to try it in high school."

Apparently those late-night lessons paid some dividends.

Rybitski burst onto the scene at Northampton in his freshman year and he soon gained the number-one singles status. Playing at the number-one slot during his first two years truly was a challenge, but Rybitski began more comfortable with the game during his junior season.

"I got my butt kicked a lot during my freshman and sophomore year," noted Rybitski. "But I held my own during my junior year. This past year, people began to notice me more. It finally came all together for me."

Head coach Kim Davis also saw a similar pattern.

"Geoff (Rybitski) had talent when he came in as a freshman, but he knew he had to work on his game," said Davis. "Every year, he started to gain more control over his game. Last year, he really matured along the way, and he did a very nice job for us this past season. He had a solid four years here."

After a career that climbed the ladder to success, Rybitski would like to extend it further. He will enroll at Northampton Community College (NCC) in the fall and pursue a career as an architect. Rybitski then plans to transfer to Temple University. He will also try out for the tennis team at NCC.

"I'd like to play at (NCC) and then try to see if I can play at Temple," he said. "That would be a great transition if I could do both. I know it will definitely take a lot of hard work to reach those goals."

Based on his past achievements, Rybitski should have a bright future.