Seniors: Jackson King

Jackson has always been the quiet type around the team. Collecting his thoughts, focusing himself, and then moving forward with the best logical solution he can find to help things improve. What I love about Jackson is his desire to improve, and to help those around him improve.

So many times, those with a desire for perfection (which is where Jackson can lean :-) begin seeing activities and academics as a competition to prove their worth. Jackson has never been like that. In fact, in the moments that he is at his best, he is a fantastic encourager. Just this weekend, at the Portage Invitational, Jackson was at his best. In a chaotic environment, with matches being played here, there, and everywhere, Jackson was a great encourager and coach - in between doing Chemistry or Physics homework :-)

In all the things that Jackson undertakes, Jackson is a worker. He is diligent about finishing the task. It has been good to watch him bear down through the years and work. I remember last year at Concord, as we tried to upset their powerful #2 doubles team. Jackson was so energetic and determined to return the tall players powerful serve and make the comeback. He has also worked in lessons, and even as I drive him home after matches, he often wants to know how I thought it went and where we or he could improve.

And this weekend I realized, Jackson does make a good coach, because he is so analytical. I pray that this desire to figure things out and improvement takes hold in his faith as well. Followers of Jesus need problem analyzers among them, to push them forward and find solutions. This is my hope for Jackson.

2 Peter 1:5-8
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Letters from Fairfield

Dear Team,
I really am getting to the point where I don't know what to say. We get better at each match. We've begun to pull out the tight matches. We are continuing to do well on the JV level. We're starting to make "playing the way that we want to play" our routine.

I guess again on this Monday night I was reminded how far we've come as a team, even within this season. #2D played with aggression and confidence through its whole match. Sol was able to rebound from a poorly played set with a well-played set. #1D got a little tight but were able to have fun in getting through the tiebreak, and clinching the match for us. We have really good tennis players who are playing really good tennis.

I loved everybody standing around and cheering for Sol. I loved everybody cheering for Daniel. I loved all the encouragement and cheers going up for Jacob Gonsalves. These guys, varsity or JV, these people, your brothers, are the ones that matter. We're getting better at tennis, and I hope that we don't lose sight of the fact that the tennis is still secondary, or even lower. The tennis is fun. That's all it is.

But I have to admit, the tennis was fun tonight. Good job team, it's been a while (5 years) since we can say we were victorious over the Fairfield Falcons. And we did it tonight with little doubt. Nice job Bruins!

Dear Sarasponda,
You never really get old. I'm always excited each and every time we gather on the bus or the courts to burst out in our victory song. No matter how poorly sang or overly fast the melody becomes, I can't be involved in singing without smiling. Sometimes I even want to dance. Maybe you deserve a moment of beauty all to yourself :-)

Dear JV Team,
I really, truly missed watching you over the weekend. You are a talented group of individuals, and last night I was treated to some of your amazing shots and talents. First of all, there is the way that you interact (especially as doubles teams). Every doubles team that we put out there seems to be amazingly positive with one another. That is awesome! Maybe you are taking after Hans and watching the way our doubles wins leader acts on the court. I hope so. But I saw it last night again in all three doubles matches. Joy in the good points. Encouragement in the ones that didn't go like we planned. And fun!

And some of the strokes you guys have right now, at singles and doubles, are simply remarkable. Your strengths are growing into varsity level weapons - Jonathan's volley putaways, Lucas's mid-court groundstrokes, Dustin's forehand, Jacob's divebombing forehands, Daniel's hustle, Brandon's serves, Lane's net play, Jackson's accuracy, and Joel's laser groundstrokes. These things will probably always be the foundation of your best play. Grow in them, gain confidence, smile every time you get to use them. And I'll smile when we continue to have fun and play well!

Dear Byeong,
I often don't include you here because you have handled your matches really well this year. But last night it was interesting to come to the fence and hear you complain about pain in your wrist. I knew that you were struggling, but didn't want to default your match. I asked if you could play and you said you thought so, it wasn't too bad. As I walked away, I prayed for you. I prayed that it would stop hurting you and that you'd be able to play how you wanted to. After the match, I asked if you needed ice. And you replied, "No, it just stopped hurting after we talked." I just wanted to tell you this story :-)

Dear Dustin,
I'm sorry you didn't play how you wanted to play last night. And I'm happy that is what you were upset about. It shows that you have a growth mindset, and that's the way to be a successful person at whatever we do. But don't forget the other part, which is that you have to give yourself permission to make mistakes as you grow. Which might mean that you make many mistakes, which may mean that you lose matches, even though you are trying really hard. I was really proud of your attitude last night. And don't forget that we all love you, no matter what happens on the court :-)

Dear God,
It was a fun match tonight. The fall air was beautiful. The sun going down, the shadows across the courts, the bright yellow balls flying through the air. And we won. It all seems to be perfect. And all good and perfect gifts come from You. God, as we progress through the season, give us the help of Your Spirit to review actions and attitudes. Help us understand our motivations, and bring our hearts more and more in line with Yours. A simple way of praying might be this: Your will be done, Your kingdom come. In Jesus name, Amen.

Moment of Sheer Beauty
For the moments of beauty tonight, let's celebrate the JV. Above, I talked about all the wonderful memories I'm building about the way that this JV team plays. My favorite moment of the night came from Jackson King. Sherry Good has described him as an artist on the tennis court, and I like that description. A flick of the wrist here, a carve and slice there, and he's creating a masterpiece. Tonight, he volleyed well and returned well and was fun to watch. The best was when he carved a backhand down the line, leaving his racket hanging up in the air after finishing the stroke. It zipped past the net player and landed just inches inside the baseline and the sideline. A beautiful stroke!

Moment of Savage Beauty
Continuing in celebrating my underclassmen, Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes dominated tonight. What impressed me was how many balls in his match he was able to hit clean winners on. Lucas played picture perfect singles. Deep balls to begin the rally which put his opponent on the defensive. Then his opponent would leave a ball short in the court, which Lucas would step forward and attack. The attack balls didn't get overhit, but were strategically struck to the side of the court that was most open or led to the most advantage. If his opponent hustled down one of these well-placed approaches, Lucas just dropped the volleys at the furthest point away from the opponent. It was savage, but surgically savage. Calculated and powerful, and one of my favorite matches to watch on the evening.

SCORES

Varsity
#1S - Jesse Amstutz - 0-6, 1-6 - Adam Yoder (12)
#2S - Byeong Min Lim - 6-1, 6-2 - Landyn Nunemaker (12)
#3S - Sol Brenneman - 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 - Clayton Bender (10)
#1D - Hans Miller/Simon Hurst - 6-1, 7-6 (2) - Nathan Azzarito (12)/Joseph Line (12)
#2D - Ryan Duckworth/Ethan Lapp - 6-2, 6-1 - Andrew Hoover (12)/Isaac Miller (10)

Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Jacob Gonsalves - 7-9 - Aaron Miller (11)
#2SJV - Daniel Robles - 8-3 - Jesse Grimm (10)
#3SJV - Dustin Miller - 1-8 - Mitchell Yoder (10)
#4SJV - Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes - 8-0 - Tucker Miller (9)
#1DJV - Lane Miller/Brandon Nguyen - 8-3 - Joel Kropf (10)/Aaron Skibbe (10)
#2DJV - Jackson King/Jonathan Yousey - 8-2 - Joey Gibson (10)/Dylan Kaufman (9)
#3DJV - Dustin Miller/Joel Yoder - 8-1 - Jarin Bontrager (9)/Jediah Corbin (9)

Letters from NorthWood

Dear Team,
It was really fulfilling tonight to have fun. I mean, the whole match was fun. Going into this match I wasn't sure what to expect. We've played good tennis this week but against teams that were a bit down this season. And the one spot where we'd had a little letdown was a position I figured we needed to win against NorthWood. But in the cool crisp night, senior night for the Panthers, it was clear early that we had all come to play with joy.

I knew it from the first point that I saw. Coming out of the bathroom, I jogged up to the courts to see Jesse already at the net, finishing an overhead. On Tuesday, he had been tentative in coming to net. In the match against the Panthers, he was given many opportunities to come forward and took advantage of them. His loose play looked excellent, and I was impressed at how he never had a let up.

At #2S, Byeong started out by losing the first game. It was clear that Byeong had better strokes, but that doesn't always win matches. After a brief reminder to move into the court with penetrating footwork, he rebounded from the first dropped game to win 12 straight. He actually was the first match off the courts, finishing before any JV match had even ended. Jesse followed him less than 10 minutes later.

And then Sol came off the courts as a winner too. Like Byeong, he forgot for awhile that he needed to use penetrating footwork, getting forward into the court and then into the net. But when he found his game late in the first set, well, let's just say he's winning an award today.

So team, here's what was fun about the singles: You looked like you were having fun. And though I call you all my brothers, when I'm watching you have fun like this I feel like a proud parent. Even though Sol's first set was close, I felt like with the joy he was taking in his good shots, he'd be able to pull it out. When you are having fun, it is beautiful.

And the doubles? And the JV? Well, they were fun too. But they get their own letters today!

Dear JV Team,
I was fairly sure you were going to avenge your one JV loss of the season today. But I didn't have any idea that you would come back and win in such dominate form. The first time we played NorthWood, we lost 3-2. We played that match without Ethan Lapp, who has been rotating between the top of JV and the #2D team on varsity. With him playing tonight, I figured you'd get that match and turn it around to win 3-2 at the top positions.

But then Ethan had to play varsity tonight with Landon's injury. And I was still confident that we'd win the JV match - because they had so many players I figured we'd win most of our second matches. Yes, I thought we might still lose the top matches 3-2, but we'd win the majority of the lower ones.

And then you came out and played with joy and purpose. Everyone took early leads and when the dust settled, we'd won those top positions 4-1, playing against the same players with the same basic lineup. I was really proud of everyone who played tonight. By the end of those second matches, we'd piled up a 10-2 win. It was impressive, and another step along the road to building a great-not-good varsity in the coming years. For now, you are experiencing the joy of building that on the JV, now having a record of 11-1-1.

Dear Hans, Simon, Ryan and Ethan,
That was awesome, no?

One team won and one team lost, but it was such good, fun, intense, aggressive, and beautiful tennis to watch. Even on the points that we lost, I found myself applauding and smiling. They came to the net, they served and volleyed, they hit big overheads. . . and then we did too. The #1D second set going into the tiebreak was the best set of doubles tennis I've seen this year, with both teams playing amazing. The #2D whole match was a back and forth competition with rises and falls of aggression and emotion, culminating in Ryan's scream of "Let's go!" when saving a break point in the final game before finishing off two more points to seal the match.

Build from this. Play simple but play big! These matches are the ones to frame in your head and remember how much fun it was to play the way you wanted to against good opponents. Congrats to you guys for playing so well, and thanks to NorthWood for playing the same way to make it so much fun.

Dear Jackson,
I was inspired by your determination tonight. The first time I got down to watch your match was in a game where you were down love-40. Your opponent hit a ball that ticked the top of the net and it looked like you'd lost the game, but you scraped the ground to pop the ball over the net and he hit the short ball out. You then proceeded to come all the way back and win that game.

That point was a perfect picture of you tonight. You had a goal, to beat the guy who had beaten you at the Jimtown Invite. But instead of obsessing about the end goal, you put the work in on every single point. You focused on just what was right in front of you. And in doing so, you succeeded.

Dear Jacob,
Great match today. I thought that you did what we talked about beautifully to open the match. Your "Five Errors" type of shots are devastating, and I think you could even challenge Lucas's amazing 105 shots in that drill with the consistency you are developing. I know that you want to win, but remember that's never the point. The point is: "On this point, I want to play the way that I want to." And I thought that you did that excellently tonight. In fact, several people tonight told me that they noticed you were playing some awesome points tonight. Great job!

Dear Rest of the Team,
I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon, and my kids are all starting to wake up from naps. I have so much more that I want to say to you. I loved the way that Jonathan Yousey volleyed and finished points at the net today. I loved how the varsity and JV guys gathered on the bleachers (maybe for warmth) and cheered on the last two matches that were left. I loved how Lucas and Dustin controlled their doubles match, playing at a higher position than they previously have. I loved Joel Yoder's unexpected volleys. I loved Daniel's hustle and willingness to go right back on after a long singles match. I loved Lane and Brandon's continued rise as a doubles team. I loved Landon's enthusiasm as a new coach, and Bryce's continued work as my devoted "Sheer and Savage Point Watcher." It was fun! I am incredibly thankful for all of you.

Dear God,
Thank you. You are good. You are loving. You are kind. You are our protector. And none of that has anything to do with tennis. Your essence is to build the best in us. I confess, we don't always align ourselves with that vision. We often have other ideas of what we want. But I'm very thankful for times where we are able to display your character, because when we live the ways of Your kingdom, it is very beautiful. Please, continue to help us grow. We've talked about getting better at tennis, building toward our best. God, grow our character as well. In Jesus we pray, amen.

Moment of Sheer Beauty
I've thought this or said this many times throughout the year, but when Sol is truly on his game, it's about the most exciting singles you can watch. Sol's athleticism, speed, and shotmaking ability is almost unmatched (almost, because Byeong can whip a forehand from his shoelaces sometimes). Tonight Sol was in rare form. In fact, Bryce was making a list of the contenders for this award, and 4 of the 7 points he listed were from Sol's match. Under pressure tonight, Sol came up with the most beautiful points. At the end of the first set and then to seal the match, Sol played similar points. He approached to his opponent's forehand. The passing shot went back up the line, and Sol met it with a spinning backhand volley. The volley was at such a sharp angle, there was no point in even running for it. In the first set it gave Sol a set point, in the second it won him the match.

Moment of Savage Beauty
Since we've really been trying to think about building the process and not just focusing on the result, how about I give this award to a character trait that was displayed today and not just a single point? Jackson displayed incredible determination today. And determination is one of those qualities that has a little bit of savageness to it. When that savageness is focused toward each point, toward the way that we want to play, it becomes a very difficult thing to stop. I loved watching and hearing this from Jackson, and it's the type of thing I can't wait to see from many of the rest of you as well. This type of focus is something the varsity can use headed into Sectional. It is filled with confidence (I can beat my opponent), effort (I will get to that ball), and focus (I will play my way with joy on this point).

SCORES

Varsity
#1S - Jesse Amstutz - 6-1, 6-1 - Jared Hoffman (9)
#2S - Byeong Min Lim - 6-1, 6-0 - Ryan Menzie (12)
#3S - Sol Brenneman - 6-4, 6-2 - Evan Nix (12)
#1D - Hans Miller/Simon Hurst - 4-6, 6-7 (6) - Quinn Stillson (12)/Caleb Yoder (12)
#2D - Ryan Duckworth/Ethan Lapp - 6-4, 7-5 - Nick Myers/Devyn Maugel

Junior Varsity
#1SJV - Jacob Gonsalves - 5-8 - Cooper Clark (12)
#2SJV - Jackson King - 9-7 - Court Clark (10)
#3SJV - Daniel Robles - 8-4 - Nate Nunemaker (11)
#4SJV - Jackson King - 8-3 - Cameron Stillson (10)
#5SJV - Dustin Miller - 8-3 - Chandler Gillam (10)
#6SJV - Jacob Gonsalves - 6-1 - Zach Snider (11)
#1DJV - Lane Miller/Brandon Nguyen - 8-6 - Brock Beehler (11)/Spencer Abel (12)
#2DJV - Dustin Miller/Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes - 8-5 - Sean Linhart (12)/Jarrett Skaggs (11)
#3DJV - Jonathan Yousey/Joel Yoder - 7-9 - Breyden Stankovich (10)/Brant Mast (9)
#4DJV - Lane Miller/Brandon Nguyen - 8-0 - Trevor Klotz (9)/Matt Checkley (10)
#5DJV - Jonathan Yousey/Lucas Brownsberger-Keyes - 6-0 - Drew Flickinger (9)/Jacob Mestach (9)
#6DJV - Daniel Robles/Joel Yoder - 6-1 - Nick Sherk (10)/Brennan Yoder (9)

Jackson King

2016

JV: 7-5

#1DJV - Northridge - Mitchell Yoder (11)/Brant Brouillette (10) - 6-0
#1DJV - Goshen - Nathanael Wertz (12)/Ben Bontrager-Singer (12) - 4-8
#1SJV - Jimtown - Nate Behrens (10) - 1-8
#1SJV - Concord - Jacob Shutterly - 6-1
#1DJV - Fremont - Eli McNaughton (9)/Chase Boals (9) - 8-1
#2SJV - Mishawaka Marian - Aaron Jackson (11) - 6-1
#1DJV - Westview - Ethan Roth (11)/Ryan Klassen (9) - 7-5
#1DJV - NorthWood - Breydon Stankovich (12)/Trajan Schwartz (10) - 8-9 (5)
#2SJV - Blackhawk Christian - Ben Friggins - 8-3
#3SJV - Elkhart Central - Abe Hill (10) - 8-9 (5)
#2SJV - Fairfield - Joe Gibson (12) - 6-7 (3)
#2SJV - Rochester - Andrew Dunwoody (9) - 8-1


2015

10-11 (Varsity); 1-0 (JV)
#2D - Northridge - Alex Gingerich (10)/Eric Firstenberger (10) - 3-6, 3-6
#1SJV - Jimtown - Matt DeCloedt (11) - 8-4
#2D - Goshen - Jacob Grewe (11)/Hugh Birky (11) - 6-4, 2-6, 2-6
#1D - Laville - Brandon Haisley (12)/Erik Eggebrecht (12) - 6-1, 6-1
#2D - Concord - Braden Fish (11)/Jake Lovette (11) - 4-6, 7-5, 5-7
#2D - Fremont - Keegan Connelly (12)/Jordan Rode (12) - 6-0, 6-2
#2D - Western - Kolten Gifford (11)/Tate Lockwood (10) - 4-6, 6-1, (10-5)
#2D - Northwestern - No Names Reported - 6-1, 6-2
#2D - Lafayette Central Catholic - Luke Seimers/Jonah Switzer - 4-6, 1-6
#2D - Mishawaka Marian - Evan Korath (11)/Kenny Klimek (11) - 6-2, 6-0
#2D - Triton - Brenden Damron (12)/Chase Butler (9) - 6-2, 6-0
#2D - Westview - Alex Stutzman (12)/Benson Stoltzfus (12) - 7-5, 6-2
#2D - Blackhawk Christian - Graham Gnagy (10)/Spencer Lee (12) - 7-5, 6-3
#2D - Elkhart Central - Christian Lankford (12)/Curtis Hill (12) - 3-6, 4-6
#2D - Wawasee - Evan Krueger/Chase Jones - 6-3, 7-6 (5)
#2D - Highland - Nick Swetz/Christian Vasquez - 4-6, 2-6
#2D - Centerville - Nathan Cheek/Bennett Walther - 3-6, 3-6
#2D - Fairfield - Aaron Miller (12)/Aaron Skibbe (11) - 6-7 (6), 6-7 (6)
#2D - Taylor - Payton Tracy-Wynn Takacs - 6-7 (5), 2-6
#2D - Wabash - Matt Stein/Austin Black - 7-6 (3), 6-3
#2D - Eastern - Braden Evans-Trey Thomas - 6-1, 6-1
#2D - Goshen - Giovanni Aguayo (12)/Jacob Grewe (11) - 1-6, 1-6
2014

17-3 (JV and Overall)
#2DJV - Jimtown - Jesse Oakley (12)/Conner Corl (9) - 8-3
#3DJV - Goshen - Bobby Sessa (10)/Drake Hostetler (11) - 8-1
#1SJV - Concord - Spenser Jaenichen (12) - 8-3
#2SJV - Fremont - Joe Conti (10) - 8-1
#2DJV - West Noble - Tyler Clouse (12)/Marcus Weimer (9) - 8-3
#2SJV - Concord - 8-1
#2SJV - NorthWood - 3-8
#3SJV - Triton - Keygan Moiser (9) - 6-3
#2DJV - Northridge - Eric Firstenburger (9)/Isaiah Zuercher (9) - 8-3
#3SJV - Westview - 6-1
#2SJV - NorthWood - Court Clark (10) - 9-7
#4SJV - NorthWood - Cameron Stillson (10) - 8-3
#2SJV - Blackhawk Christian - Bailey Brouwer (11) - 8-2
#2SJV - Elkhart Central - Ben Weaver (12) - 2-8
#5SJV - Elkhart Central - Keith Hartzler (10) - 6-4
#2SJV - Fort Wayne Snider - W
#2SJV - Angola - L
#2SJV - Fremont - W
#2DJV - Fairfield - Joey Gibson (10)/Dylan Kaufman (9) - 8-2
#2SJV - Bremen - Jake Strehler (9) - 8-2
2013

5-3 (JV), 1-0 (Varsity) = 6-3 (Overall)
#4SJV - Northridge - James Dugle (9) - 6-8
#5SJV - Goshen - Jacob Grewe (10) - 5-8
#5DJV - Concord - ??? / ??? - 7-8 (3)
#2DJV - Columbia City - Matt Kennedy (9)/Dillon Reed (9) - 6-3
#4DJV - Fremont - Joe Conti (9)/Jayce Colclasure (9) - 6-4
#4SJV - Westview - 6-1
#2D - Laville - Dennis Feitz/Eric Eggerbrecht - 6-2, 6-3
#6DJV - Fairfield - Carver DeWitt-Gall (11)/Joey Gibson (9) - 6-1
#2SJV - Howe - 6-0