Jessica King

Jessica King

Jessica King, 13, of Clark Summit, Pa near Scranton, has been showing steady progress in the past year. She received a sportsmanship award at the National Hard Court Tournament. Debbie Hodge, Debbie Hodge, USTA-KY, Tournament Director, had this to say, "Congratulations to Jessica! I will send her award out on Monday. It's a beautiful plaque. Jessica's name was submitted by the officials working the tournament. Comments were made that she corrected the score to her disadvantage, and that she made double bounce calls on herself. There were many nominees but we felt Jessica was well deserving with her positive behavior this week during our tournament. She should be very proud, and as parents, you should be very proud as well."

In the past year, the USTA/Middle States Junior Competition and Development Committee also presented her with the Middle States 2005 Junior Sportsmanship Award in their age and gender category. She received her Sportsmanship Award for Girls' 12-year Singles) in March 06 at the prestigious USTA/Middle States Annual Awards Banquet at the Marriot Forrestall held
in Princeton, New Jersey.

Enjoying the USTA Middle States Sportsmanship Award with
Jessica King were her family, from the left were dad Bernie,
Jessica, mom Jeanmarie, and sister Jordyn. Photo, Newsfax.

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Other Jessica King highlights:

After attending Rick Macci Academy in Florida in 2005, King won all four zonal matches in singles and all three in singles in the 12s. King has a diversified training regiment and works with a range of coaches, most recently with Rick Macci, for competitive tournament play.

Jessica King and Rick Macci in early 2006
Photo contributed by the Kings.

But, her home town pro Bill Stegge of Birchwood (who helped develop her strong foundation game, is her primary coach, and continues to enhance her power game). King loves training daily with Stegge and working out at Birchwood. Bill has been King’s coach since she first attended the club’s Tiny Tots program at age five. She has also worked with high performance and technical coach Ken Baumel of the Don Budge Grand Slam Program, who provides support and technical advice. King continued her training with Macci in 2006, which has helped solidify her skills. And, her sister Jordyn was invited to go to Texas in October 2006 for the Little Mo Nationals.

But, winning for King did not just happen recently, even though she turned 11 years old in early 2005, King was already completing her 5th year of competitive tennis. In 2005, Clarks Summit’s Jessica King has solidified her place as one of Eastern Pennsylvania District’s (EPD) brightest tennis stars. In EPD play, King in early 2005 had a match win streak dating back to 2003 in Girls 10s, 12s, and 14s. In 2004, King was ranked #1 in Girls 10s and Girls 12s capturing all five District events in which she competed. In 2005, she captured all four 12s and 14s events entered.

King's success at the Zone Team Championships has been part of a summer in which she has posted a combined 25-2 record in district, sectional, and national play. Her 2005 summer schedule concluded by capturing her first Level 5 Middle States title at the Hidden Valley Open held in Somerset, PA.

And her overall goal in 2005 was to be selected for the Middle States Junior National Team for Girls 12s. This team has the privilege of representing Middle States at the USTA Zone Team Championships – a USTA Level 2 National Tournament. In June 2005, King was notified she made the team. While very proud to be selected, King knew the real work was ahead as this would be the first time she not only competed for herself, but also for a team. And she got past the first round at this event event in Arizona, exceeding her expectations and moving up the rankings at the end of 2005 and beginning of 2006.

In four days of competition against the National Teams of other USTA sections, King delivered a 4-0 singles record and 3-0 doubles record. But, her proudest moment came when she received the Girls Sportsmanship Award for her on-court and off-court behavior and fairness. This was not the first time King was recognized for her sportsmanship. Two years ago in Chicago, with a berth in Little Mo Nationals on the line, King's opponent in a match was sure King was leading with two more games than King actually had logged. After nearly a five-minute delay to sort out the score, King convinced her opponent of the correct score.

King also has fond memories in EPD, especially competing in the Keystone State Games. She loved attending the opening ceremonies with her friends. King captured the Girls 10s Singles Gold Medal in 2002, 2003, and 2004 Keystone games.

King’s early success has not been limited to the EPD. In 2003, at age nine, King captured the Bronze Medal in Girls 12s in the State Games of America held in Hartford, CT. She was also named to the Little Mo National Team in 2003 and 2004 in Girls 9s and Girls 10s. Selection to the Little Mo National Team is reserved for the Top 16 players in the nation based on their results in the Little Mo National Series.

That success always followed hard work. King enjoys the hard work that goes with training, but mostly loves the competition. She said, “I love to be out on the court in a really tough match. It’s the greatest feeling when you are out there in a battle using what you know to play your best. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but you always leave the court with something to work on for the next time. With tennis, there’s always a lot to work on for the next time.”

King's focus is to develop a foundation that will serve her for years to come - wherever tennis may take her. And her goals are very high. As a straight-A student, King hopes her academic and tennis ability will take her to the Ivy League to play college tennis, with Princeton University her school of choice.

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