McGraw
Executive Director
It may not
be politically correct, but the truth is that many of the so-called Olympic
sports are not the province of large, urban school districts. To excel at sports
like tennis, golf, and swimming usually requires extensive coaching outside of
the school setting.
In short,
they are expensive sports. History suggests that the greatest success is found
in suburban and private schools.
You can
imagine, then, why it caught our attention when we learned that the Indianapolis City
girls singles tennis championship had been won by a freshman from Tech High
School. The young ladyâ??s name is Kelly Fritz, and
when we spoke to her, we found a whole lot more that got our attention.
Fritzâ??
victory was the first time in at least 25 years that an Indianapolis Public Schools
player had won the tourney. She defeated highly regarded Paola Osina of Cathedral,
1-6, 6-3, with a 10-8 tiebreaker determining the outcome due to weather and
time concerns. Moreover, Fritz was undefeated for the season until running into
Christina Riley of Avon in the individual
regional finals last week.
Riley, who
ended Fritzâ?? season in the individual singles tournament May 27, is also a
freshman.
So how did
a player from Tech reach these heights? We asked that question of Fritz.
â??I
couldnâ??t hit the broad side of a barn till I was 12,â? she said. â??Then I began
to get better and realized I could be pretty good.
â??I grew up
playing in the National Junior Tennis Leagues, which is a program through Indy
Parks. Now I train at the Indianapolis
Tennis Center
with coach Smith.â?
It was
when the inevitable question of why she plays at Tech surfaced that we began to
learn what a remarkable girl Kelly is off the court.
â??I had
interest expressed from most of the private schools in the city, but I believe
in diversity and living in the real world,â? Fritz said. â??My brother attended
Tech and has had a great experience. Tech has a strong math and science magnet
and I am interested in that, so it was where I wanted to go.
â??I have an
uncle who offered to pay if I wanted to go to a private school, but I said no.â?
It is a
decision that obviously pleases long-time Tech coach Kathy Kinghorn, who is
quick to point out that the Titans have always had a good program by IPS
standards.
â??Kelly
obviously takes it to a whole other level, though,â? Kinghorn said. â??The other
girls look at her and say to themselves, â??she goes to Tech and look what she
has done.â??
â??It is
really a great thing for Tech athletics.â?
A state
championship and a college scholarship are goals for this young phenom. But
there, too, we find that Kellyâ??s outlook is a bit unusual.
â??I donâ??t want
to play in a real pressure-packed situation in college,â? Fritz said. â??I really
like tennis, but it isnâ??t my whole life.â?
In fact,
Kellyâ??s first love is the outdoors. She hopes to major in some nature-oriented
area. A professional career in tennis in not only a long shot, it isnâ??t even
something Kelly aspires to.
â??I canâ??t
imagine having to play every day as a job,â? she said. â??I just donâ??t think that
would be much fun.â?
What is fun is talking to a young athlete who
has her priorities so firmly in line. Indiana
will hear much more from this young lady, and we are sure it will all be good.
So
what do you think? Share your thoughts in our Girls Tennis forum.
Processing your request, Please wait....
