Even the opponents that freshman Blain Mott compete with in his tennis matches have nothing bad to say about him.
“Blain is an awesome tennis player. We’ve been playing together for four years and he should make it to State all four years. I hope he can win districts the next three years,” Kyle Helm, Barlow high school senior said.
This is Mott’s first year playing tennis for the high school team and according to his teammates, he has done better than expected.
“As a freshman, Blain is amazing. [He is] by far the best player on our team. Blain is going to do extremely well in his upcoming tennis career and by the time Blain is a senior, he will really be unstoppable,” senior tennis player Nick Rumley said.
Other sports led Mott to further in his tennis career.
“I started playing tennis because it was kind of the last resort. I played a lot of other sports when I was younger but tennis gave me something that other sports did not. I still play tennis because I love it. I have my times where I say I never want to play again, but something always brings me back,” Mott said.
According to Mott, he too is happy with his season.
“I’m happy with how this season has gone. I think that some of the matches could have really fallen either way and I need practice in those situations,” Mott said. “I hope that I’ll be more comfortable coming into the season next year, knowing a little bit more what I’m up against.”
Mott is not the only one that thinks he will continue to grow throughout his years the team.
“I really enjoy playing with Blain. He has taught me so much this year. I think he is really good and as he matures through high school he could go all the way to taking first in state,” junior tennis player Ryan Olsen said.
Mott’s teammates commented on how fun he is to play with.
“I really enjoy playing with Blain. He is great at tennis and always has a positive attitude,” Rumley said.
Mott also thinks that his teammates are great and have only been getting better.
“I really like the group of kids we have this year. Since the first practice, each and every one of them have improved so much. I’m hoping that they will continue to play over the summer and continue to improve,” Mott said.
Mott himself does a lot of outside training for tennis as well.
“I play club tennis, and I practice four to five times a week with my coach John Bot at Glendoveer. I’m also currently training at Lewis and Clark college,” Mott said.
Both Rumley and Olsen said that the whole team has done pretty well this season, too.
“Our team is doing good. We are out playing our best and have done pretty well this season,” Rumley said.
Overall, Mott stated that this season turned out about how he thought it would. There would be some matches that he did not have to worry about and some where he would really have to be on his a-game for.
At the district tennis tournament this year, Mott placed third. Although it was not what he wanted, he will still go onto State and has been a real asset to the tennis team.
Mott had lost the first round in State, but his friends and family are always there to have his back.
“My friends and family are really supportive of me. I would not be able to do it without them. Tennis is different because when you’re out on the court it’s just you. There’s no teammates to rely on or to blame. But my sideline is just like having a team,” Mott said.
