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There’s a saying that success comes when preparation meets opportunity.
But some opportunities are more difficult than others.
“It’s just really intimidating to play against the boys all the time,” said MV-BT/Liberty junior Kenna Woolsey.
Mountain View-Birch Tree Liberty High School doesn’t have a girls tennis team.
That means the girls play during the boys season.
“The boys are much more athletic, as far as strength wise,” said MV-BT/Liberty Head Coach Karen Safranek.
With that in mind, you might think it impossible for a girl to win a boys district championship.
But when opportunity came, Kenna was prepared.
“I’ve played tennis all my life but I never thought I’d be able to actually win [districts on] the boys side,” Kenna said.
Last week, Kenna won the Class 1, District 9 singles title.
“There is not like a set of words I could say that would describe how good she is,” said Willow Springs senior Ben Clarkston.
Ben would know.
He’s played Kenna on several occasions, winning some and losing others.
“Boys are usually more powerful hitters, and girls are like more consistent and her consistency game is 100%, it’s 10 out of 10,” Ben said.
Kenna’s consistency and mindset allow her to overcome the physical disadvantages.
“My dad always tells me that the tennis ball has no idea if I’m a girl or how tall I am or anything like that,” Kenna said.
Plus, she knows the pressure is on her opponent.
“It doesn’t get in my head as much if a boy beats me as it does to a boy when a girl beats them,” she said.
And if you ask opponents and coaches what might happen if she competed during the fall, here’s what they’ll tell you.
“If she played in the girls season, she would be state champ like no doubt in my mind,” Ben said.
“Oh, I believe that,” Safranek added. “Yeah, I believe she would be state champion if she played on a girls team.”
For now, she’ll have to settle for a district crown and the chance to inspire other girls.
“I never really thought ‘wow, I’m going to go beat boys in tennis, that’s how i’m going to do it,’ but I hope to be a leader, a role model for other girls,” Kenna said.
More than that, Kenna can be a role model for us all by turning opportunity into success.
