Ada High School soon-to-be-senior and tennis standout Jackson Swopes said there’s nothing like the family environment within Ada’s tennis program.

“It’s not really a team anymore. It’s a family,” Swopes said. “I have seen other teams be close, but I think what we have at Ada is unique to everyone else.”

Swopes grew up in a tennis-playing family, though he never felt obligated to play. He gravitated towards the sport organically.

“I enjoy the competition. Trying to beat people that are better than me is always a challenge I’ll accept,” Swopes said.

He’s felt his share of adversity in the sport. His freshman year, teammate Wyatt Brown died. The two were close.

“We really all supported each other to make sure each of us was OK,” Swopes said.

“Jackson is one of the best players on our team and he is an incredible person,” Ada tennis coach Terry Swopes said. “He has a servant’s heart and he looks for the good in everyone.”

Also serving as Ada High School student council vice president and a member of its FCA chapter, Swopes stays busy with extracurricular activities outside of tennis.

“I enjoy getting the opportunity to help plan and execute ideas that our council has for our school,” Swopes said. “It’s always fun to see the impact you can have. I got involved in student council because when I was growing up, I watched my brother do student council and I’ve always looked up to him, so I guess watching him put the idea of doing student council in my head.”

On the court, Swopes and doubles partner Tate Danielson finished fourth at the 5A state tennis championships in No. 1 doubles. The pair finished 25-5 last year. Swopes has spent the offseason improving his backhand and his serve.

“I’ve been playing a lot of tennis because I really want to improve my skill in the sport,” Swopes said.