Newcomers Find Success on a Different Playing Field
ARKANSAS 14 & UNDER INTERMEDIATE TEAM FINDS PASSION FOR THE GAME
By Amanda Tobin and Jennifer Pollack/ USTA Southern

You might not hear this Arkansas 14 & Under Intermediate team from Fort Smith, AR being rowdy on the court, but the players are a force to be reckoned with. Team Coach, Leslie Curran, describes the members of her team as being a quiet group, with no one leader on the team. However, they gel together on the court despite their diverse interests and personalities.

All of the boys on team were avid baseball players until recently when three of the four discovered their enthusiasm for tennis. The three boys have stopped playing baseball in order to focus on improving their tennis skills. On the hand, the girls on the team have a wide variety of interests and have continued to pursue cheerleading and dance in addition to playing tennis. It is quite evident that these kids are able to balance all of their activities and still be victorious on the tennis court.

Another unique aspect of this particular team is the fact that there is a set of identical twin boys on the roster, David and Walker Wiggins. These twins play doubles together and are incredibly similar not only in their appearance, but also in their style of play and attitude. Curran said, “One has to wear red shoes, while the other one wears blue for us to tell them apart.”

Six of the eight team members not only play Jr. Team Tennis together, but also junior high school tennis. While most of them only started really playing competitive tennis a year ago, they found success and the determination to get past their opponents at the state tournament in Little Rock. Curran was impressed that her team was able to overcome their fatigue and the Southern heat to advance to the Jr. Team Tennis Sectional Championships this year. The team is looking forward to proving themselves at the tournament this weekend in Mobile.