|
Love for game fuels father-son tandem |
|
|
|
Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
 Father and son Bob (l) and Bobby Lake have kept tennis a rich tradition in their family. Photo by Derek DeSha
|
by RYAN WIXTED
Sports Editor
Appalachian State University junior tennis player Bobby Lake remembers the first tennis racket he ever picked up.
“I was 3 years old,” he said. “It was a Wilson Pro staff and it was purple.”
Eighteen years later the passion and love for the game has matured into something much more for the
6-foot-1-inch Boone native.
Tennis has always been a rich tradition in the Lake family.
Bobby’s father Bob Lake is the head coach for the Appalachian men’s tennis team and Bobby’s
younger brother Steven is a standout tennis player at Watauga High School.
However, the father-son tandem at Appalachian is about the love of tennis and the competitive nature
that burns in both Bob and Bobby.
From his approach to his technique to his competitive nature, Bobby learned everything about tennis
from his father - a standout tennis player at Pace University in upstate New York.
“When I was younger he was hard on me - he would push me,” Bobby said. “But now he knows what I
can do and he knows how I can do it, and he kind of lets me be, which is really nice. When you’re
playing in college and you’re tight in a match or losing, it really doesn’t help you for someone to come
up and try to tell you what you’re doing wrong.”
Wanting to spread his wings after high school graduation, Bobby decided to play tennis at Southern
Conference foe, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
“It wasn’t that my dad was the coach here, but I wanted to get of this town,” Bobby said of his reason
to attend UNCG.
But the atmosphere of the High Country soon drew Bobby back to the mountains.
“I’m not a city boy,” Bobby said. “I wasn’t a big fan of the tennis there either. It seemed that tennis was
more of a job than fun, where here it’s fun and all the guys get along.”
After Bobby transferred to ASU he had to sit out a year due to NCAA sanctions in athletic sports.
That aside, Bob believes his son has grown a lot in the last few years on the court.
“He’s a powerful player,” Bob said. “He hits the ball hard and most coaches we play against say that.
The kids he goes up against though have been at it longer than him because he’s a junior
academically, but a freshman on the court. He hasn’t had the match experience playing on a college
team.”
This past season Bobby played at the No.1 spot for singles and has not disappointed his dad or the
team.
As the spring season wrapped up last week, the team finished with a 12-9 overall record and a 5-4
Southern Conference record.
They have now turned their focus to the SoCon Tennis Tournament to be held this weekend in
Charleston, S.C.
Nevertheless, Bob and Bobby are confident the team is hitting their stride at the right time.
“We hit a little slump, but now we are looking to finish strong,” Bobby said.
As for the father and son rivalry, Bobby doesn’t mind boasting about the winning streak he currently
holds against his father.
“He hasn’t been able to get a game against me,” Bobby said with a smile.
Not ashamed to admit it, Bob agrees with his son’s sentiment.
“He’s been able to beat me since he was 16.”
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments