My Story...
I want to start out by saying that I shouldn't be in the position I am in with my tennis...not even close. I shouldn't have a website, I shouldn't have made the decision to turn pro last summer, and I shouldn't have my current tournament results. With my training and circumstances I should be no where near the level I am at today.
This statement might seem out of place considering the purpose of my website, but to me it is the reason why I am here and I keep moving forward to play professional tennis. It shows that God has His hand on my life and on my tennis and is guiding them both in a way that I can't take the credit for. So when all of this is said and done, I will know that it was only possible for me because of Him.
Without knowing my background you might wonder what separates me from all of the other talented girls wanting to play professional tennis. So here is my story...
Neither of my parents play and we have no tennis (or even athletic) background in our family.
I started playing tennis at the age of 7 because my dad wanted my older sister to play, so I came along for the ride, picked up balls and occasionally got to hit.
When my parents decided to start putting me in clinics and lessons along with my sister I picked up on it quickly and really enjoyed it. I wasn't supposed to be the tennis player of the family, I was just a home-schooled girl that my dad wanted to be moderately active. Never the less, I started playing some local junior tournaments and practiced with my sister.
I started improving dramatically when I was about twelve years old. My large strides of improvement sparked my passion for the game and I knew it was something I wanted to do. My thoughts were that if I thought it was possible then why not pursue it?
Though I began to have big dreams for my tennis, there were still many obstacles I faced that contributed to the unlikeliness of ever reaching those dreams.
Finances were one of those obstacles. For a typical national level tennis player, some parents are forking out about $30,000 a year for practice – and that doesn't include equipment, travel, or tournaments! My parents had a budget for my sister and I combined of $3,000 a year. I was getting 1/10 of what my peers were getting and was somehow still able to hang on though my improvement was very sporadic (especially during my formative years). Throughout every age group I maintained a top 10 ranking in the Mid-Atlantic section but I was unable to keep up with the top girls because I wasn't getting the same training or tournament experience. While other girls were getting to travel to nationals sometimes six times a year or more, I had only traveled to three national tournaments in my life before 2008.
I started working part time when I was 15 years old to pay for my tennis and was fully financially supporting my tennis by the age of 17. I received help from both my grandparents and my parents when they could & I had coaches and supporters during this time that helped rekindle what my goals were and set me on the right path to pursue my dreams.
My parents didn't have the money to fund my travels, but they sacrificed a lot. Competitive tennis is a huge commitment and many times they considered and prayed about whether to pull me out of tennis because they wanted to be sure they were guiding me in the right direction. Each time they prayed about it, God provided someone or something that kept me moving in the right direction. Based on God's provision in this area and my personal growth they are completely supporting my tennis goals and are a great source of wisdom and strength for me.
The last decision I made approaching the end of my junior tennis career was college tennis versus professional tennis. During my high school years there was an increasing pressure from other people telling me to play college tennis. I liked the idea of college tennis because it gave my tennis career certainty. It was frustrating having a dream that I constantly felt like my game didn't match up with. At this point I knew what I wanted, but I also wanted to be realistic and I didn't exactly know what to pursue at this point. All I knew is that my game needed a lot of development so I decided that I wanted to play college tennis and use it as a stepping stone to eventually play professional tennis. It was a complicated situation but after almost a year of trying to make things work, the NCAA did not qualify me to play college tennis. Their ruling was based on credits I had taken in high school that the NCAA did not count as core courses. The only time they give students to make up the deficient credits is the year after graduation, so my time for completing the requirements had already elapsed, leaving me as a non- qualifier. Many people have expressed to me that they think it's stupid that I'm not going to school. But I know that if God had wanted me playing college tennis I would be there right now. He wants me right where I am and now I am able to freely pursue what I have always wanted to do – play professional tennis.
My results over the past year have really encouraged me because although I am lacking some of the experience other girls have, I can still compete with them and win.
I still have doubts and struggle with my faith when I think about where the future will take me. But the things that keep me going is my love for the game and knowing that even though I shouldn't be here – I am.
This statement might seem out of place considering the purpose of my website, but to me it is the reason why I am here and I keep moving forward to play professional tennis. It shows that God has His hand on my life and on my tennis and is guiding them both in a way that I can't take the credit for. So when all of this is said and done, I will know that it was only possible for me because of Him.
Without knowing my background you might wonder what separates me from all of the other talented girls wanting to play professional tennis. So here is my story...
Neither of my parents play and we have no tennis (or even athletic) background in our family.
I started playing tennis at the age of 7 because my dad wanted my older sister to play, so I came along for the ride, picked up balls and occasionally got to hit.
When my parents decided to start putting me in clinics and lessons along with my sister I picked up on it quickly and really enjoyed it. I wasn't supposed to be the tennis player of the family, I was just a home-schooled girl that my dad wanted to be moderately active. Never the less, I started playing some local junior tournaments and practiced with my sister.
I started improving dramatically when I was about twelve years old. My large strides of improvement sparked my passion for the game and I knew it was something I wanted to do. My thoughts were that if I thought it was possible then why not pursue it?
Though I began to have big dreams for my tennis, there were still many obstacles I faced that contributed to the unlikeliness of ever reaching those dreams.
Finances were one of those obstacles. For a typical national level tennis player, some parents are forking out about $30,000 a year for practice – and that doesn't include equipment, travel, or tournaments! My parents had a budget for my sister and I combined of $3,000 a year. I was getting 1/10 of what my peers were getting and was somehow still able to hang on though my improvement was very sporadic (especially during my formative years). Throughout every age group I maintained a top 10 ranking in the Mid-Atlantic section but I was unable to keep up with the top girls because I wasn't getting the same training or tournament experience. While other girls were getting to travel to nationals sometimes six times a year or more, I had only traveled to three national tournaments in my life before 2008.
I started working part time when I was 15 years old to pay for my tennis and was fully financially supporting my tennis by the age of 17. I received help from both my grandparents and my parents when they could & I had coaches and supporters during this time that helped rekindle what my goals were and set me on the right path to pursue my dreams.
My parents didn't have the money to fund my travels, but they sacrificed a lot. Competitive tennis is a huge commitment and many times they considered and prayed about whether to pull me out of tennis because they wanted to be sure they were guiding me in the right direction. Each time they prayed about it, God provided someone or something that kept me moving in the right direction. Based on God's provision in this area and my personal growth they are completely supporting my tennis goals and are a great source of wisdom and strength for me.
The last decision I made approaching the end of my junior tennis career was college tennis versus professional tennis. During my high school years there was an increasing pressure from other people telling me to play college tennis. I liked the idea of college tennis because it gave my tennis career certainty. It was frustrating having a dream that I constantly felt like my game didn't match up with. At this point I knew what I wanted, but I also wanted to be realistic and I didn't exactly know what to pursue at this point. All I knew is that my game needed a lot of development so I decided that I wanted to play college tennis and use it as a stepping stone to eventually play professional tennis. It was a complicated situation but after almost a year of trying to make things work, the NCAA did not qualify me to play college tennis. Their ruling was based on credits I had taken in high school that the NCAA did not count as core courses. The only time they give students to make up the deficient credits is the year after graduation, so my time for completing the requirements had already elapsed, leaving me as a non- qualifier. Many people have expressed to me that they think it's stupid that I'm not going to school. But I know that if God had wanted me playing college tennis I would be there right now. He wants me right where I am and now I am able to freely pursue what I have always wanted to do – play professional tennis.
My results over the past year have really encouraged me because although I am lacking some of the experience other girls have, I can still compete with them and win.
I still have doubts and struggle with my faith when I think about where the future will take me. But the things that keep me going is my love for the game and knowing that even though I shouldn't be here – I am.
Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3