VYPE: What are your personal goals this year and how is the season going?

Tate: My personal goals this year are to make straight A’s and to become a member of the Student Council. Our tennis season is going pretty well, we’ve won or placed well at almost every tournament and there have definitely been some tough matches I did not expect to win.

VYPE: What is the most fun you have had in the last year?

Tate: Last summer, me and some of the Ada tennis players went to a camp at the OSU tennis center which was super fun. The time spent playing tennis and hanging out with friends really made it an awesome time.

VYPE: Who is your favorite teacher from any grade or coach and why?

Tate: There’s no way I can pick just one, but my favorite teachers will always be Mrs. Matthews and Mrs. Weems. In 8th grade, I had a conjoined reading and English class with both of these teachers and this class really shaped my year. Together, the pair made class so fun, and they taught in a way that just made sense. These two were always so caring and outgoing and they really made a lasting impact on me.

VYPE: What is your favorite athletic memory?

Tate: My favorite athletic memory has to be at Boys Tennis State last May. Staying in a hotel, eating, and watching tennis as a team created some of the best memories that I know I’ll never forget.

VYPE: What teammate has left the biggest impression on you and why?

Tate: Boady Ross has left the biggest impression on me because he is a great friend and role model. Boady is honest and outgoing and is a passionate friend to many. He is a great mentor and advisor to me, and I will be sad to see him go. In many ways, I strive to be more like him.

VYPE: Who on your team has the best impression of your coach and who says the funniest things during games?

Tate: I’m not sure I’ve seen an impression of our coach before but for his birthday, a bunch of the tennis girls printed hundreds of pictures of his face, big and small, and hid them all over the tennis building. We were finding these faces for weeks in everything from toilet paper rolls to the ceiling tiles.

As far as jokes go, Halston Redwine always has something to say that can make the room laugh.

VYPE: You can pick any place for a summer vacation, where do you go and who do you take with you?

Tate: I would go on a trip to the Colorado Rockies. I would bring along a few close friends and we would hike, go fly fishing, and go whitewater rafting.

VYPE: If we gave you 500 dollars and you had to spend it in the next 24 hours, how would you spend it?

Tate: I would definitely buy a brand-new pair of shoes and a fresh new tennis racket to play with.

VYPE: Here is your chance to say hello, goodbye or thank you to anyone you wish.

Tate: I want to say thank you to my old tennis coach Carolyn Nimmo for instilling in me a love for tennis.