Paige Bennett
August Player of the Month

Connor O'Brien
July Player of the Month

Seung Min Kim
June Player of the Month

Seung Min Kim :Age 8

Seung Min Kim is our one of our newest member of our JDP Program here at ESTC. He joins us from Austin, TX along with his two brothers and tennis playing parents. He is a champ-level player that brings another perspective to our growing tennis program. We are excited to have he and his family joins us in Eugene and we will look forward to watching his game continue to develop. Here is a little more about Seung Min:

Madisyn Bryant
May Player of the Month

Madisyn Bryant: Age 11

Madisyn Bryant has been playing tennis most of her life and truly loves the sport. As she grew older she began competing as early as the age of 7 with some very good results. She continues to play in tournaments around the Pacific Northwest and has been ranked in the top ten in the Girl’s 12’s. She also has traveled throughout the United States at times and is currently ranked 25th in her 4th grade level in the nation. You can see her on a regular basis around the club playing matches with just about anyone who wants to play.

Emily Park and Jordan O'Hanlon
April Players of the Month

Jordan and Emily had their first taste of competitive play last December in the Holiday Tournament at the YMCA and in this year's Winter Jr. Team Tennis league. They are doubles partners and best friends, spending much of their off court time together as well. You can tell how close the two friends are since nearly all of their answers are the same. They both take lessons each week and are steadily improving their tennis games. Here are some fun facts about the pair that you may not know.

Elanor Mae Grossman
March Player of the Month

Elanor is a tennis addict! She was born as Elanor in Hong Kong but goes by Elle or "L" to those of us who know her best. Elle first started playing tennis when she was 4 years old when her dad introduced her to the sport she now loves. Just last year Elle joined our club, ESTC, and has already impacted the junior program by leading by example for our other juniors. She competes regularly in the USTA (United States Tennis Assocation) tennis tournaments around the Pacific Northwest and is currently ranked 26 in Girl's 14 Champs Division. Elle's hard work has paid off and she is working her way up the rankings in champs. Her favorite weapon is her serve, specifically serving down the "T" or out wide. Many of you may be able to notice this fact as you may see her weekly out on the court just pounding serves. Elle's goals and aspirations include playing high level college tennis and eventually playing on the professional tour as well as becoming a fashion designer.

When Elle is traveling to tournaments she always packs honey sticks imported from Hong Kong (they are special), sports tape, a towel, her very important ipod, and inspirational notes and quotes from her or her coach Dirk Baker. The night before every match Elle eats her pre-game ritual pasta at Applebee's. On the way up to tournaments Elle and her friends also enjoy dipping licorice sticks into peanut butter as a tournament ritual. I don't ask questions about that one. Elle's favorite player is Ana Ivanovic from Serbia because of the way she plays and Ana's passion inspires Elle on the court. Elle's favorite moment on court was when she got to watch the Davis Cup finals in Portland and be apart of American Davis Cup history.

Elle has been a great addition to our club but more importantly to our junior program as she is our March Player of the Month for 2008. Keep an eye out for Elle in the upcoming years as she is going to be a huge success on the court and off. Congratulations Elle!

Jessica Laurie
February Player of the Month

Jessica loves tennis. Her nickname is Jess, but only her close friends call her by this name. Since I am her coach, I will use her nickname during this article. Jess started to really get involved in tennis less than two years ago. She has improved dramatically since participating in our junior programs and taking private tennis lessons. She competes regularly in USTA (United States Tennis Association) tennis tournaments around the Pacific Northwest and is currently ranked 43 in Girl's 12 Champs division. Her favorite shot is her two handed backhand down the line. She uses this shot to get her opponent off balance or simply to hit the winner when she gets the chance. Her favorite athlete is Maria Sharapova, because she is a great athlete and very competitive on the tennis court. Jess has many great goals in her life, but her biggest goal is to play college tennis for Stanford University and study to become an orthopedic surgeon. Her most memorable moment was when she won her first tennis tournament at the Green Meadows Tennis Club in Vancouver, Washington. She has made it a habit to always eat pasta at Olive Garden the night before she plays her matches during tournaments. She also makes sure that she has her iPod with her on every trip she goes on and will listen to her favorite tunes to pump her up before every match. An interesting, but bizarre fact about Jess is that she has never ever finished drinking a full can of soda. She just simply hates the taste. Jess is a great addition to our junior program here at ESTC and is our February's Player of the Month for 2008. Keep an eye on Jess as she is without a doubt going to be very successful, not just on the tennis court but off the court as well.