THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610040228
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 30 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 75 lines
Two years ago, Jessica Strickler's ability with a tennis racket helped her to feel good about being less than five feet tall. This past summer, it allowed her to travel around the country.
And in early September, it gave her a rare confidence as she prepared to make the often anxiety-filled step from eighth grade to high school.
``My goal coming in was to make history,'' Stickler said matter-of-factly of her desire to become Hickory High School's first district champion. ``I wanted to show everyone us Hickory students can be aggressive and do our best just like anyone else.''
Carrying the banner for an entire school might seem like daunting talk, but Strickler has smoothly stepped up and walked the walk. The Hawks' No. 1 player has ripped through Southeastern District play with shocking ease, winning all eight of her matches and going 96-11 in games won and never surrendering more than three games in a match. Strickler will be a prohibitive favorite in the Southeastern District singles tournament beginning Tuesday.
In addition, Strickler has emerged as a leader among the Hawks, a player Hickory coach Marina Bass-Thomas said continually provides tips to her less experienced teammates on tennis etiquette and the finer points of match play.
``I had heard about Jessica, and she's lived up to everything I'd heard,'' Bass-Thomas said. ``I'm glad I'm going to have her three more years.''
Of course, tennis is reknowned for producing talented players at a young age, so it shouldn't be surprising that so much success is coming from a freshman. Especially a freshman who's been hitting tennis balls since she was barely bigger than the racket she now uses.
``She got started when she was about six, watching mom,'' said Jessica's mother, Linda, a 4.0-level player and a regular in local USTA leagues. ``She'd hit against the fence with a racquetball racket.''
It wasn't long before her potential became evident to Dave Howell, the head pro at the Greenbrier Country Club. Howell typically doesn't teach players until they are eight years old.
In Strickler's case, he made an exception.
``She's always had the look of someone who'd be pretty good if she stuck with it,'' Howell said.
By age nine, Stickler began competing in tournaments.
``The thing about Jessica is, she's always worked towards having an all-court game,'' said Howell, who still works with Strickler. ``She volleys well, has a nice motion on her overhead and moves extremely well.
``The only concern I had was what kind of size she might have. She was pretty tiny there for a while.''
While Strickler says one of the things she likes most about tennis is that the sport doesn't put small players at a disadvantage, she got great pleasure out of a growth spurt that shot her up and out of the Munchkin ranks.
``Now I'm 5-4 1/2 and 99 pounds,'' she said with a big smile.
Last year, the left-handed Strickler ranked 20th in the Mid-Atlantic Tennis Association girls 14s. This year, she's moved up 10 spots, enough to qualify to compete in national tournaments. She played in four such events over the summer.
This level of experience makes Strickler a rarity among area high school players. Indeed, Strickler has probably hit more tennis balls in one summer than some entire Southeastern District teams have hit in their whole lives.
But Strickler said the high-school tennis experience has given her much more than just easy victories. It's also given her publicity, something that never came despite her regional tournament success. And more importantly, in a sport Strickler described as lonely, it's been nice to have other people around who are striving for the same goal.
``This is the first time I've really been in position to be part of a team,'' Strickler said of the Hawks, who tied for second place in the Southeastern with a 5-2 mark before losing a playoff match to Nansemond River Wednesday, 5-4. ``We're all like one big family, pumping each other up when we're down and hugging each other win or lose. It's kinda neat.''
And if all goes well for Strickler next week, perhaps even kinda historical. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Jessica Strickler aims to become Hickory's first district champion.
KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS by CNB