The Landfall Ace, the country club’s 35-member advanced junior tennis group, was eyeing the net last week as it prepped for the Tar Heel Qualifier, an annual statewide tournament that is held in Winston-Salem and sets the rankings for the rest of the season. Their coach, Jon Ingham, who has been working with this group, aged 6 to 18, for six years, has groomed quite a few state-ranked players. Last year, collectively, they won 45 tournaments.
“Most of the kids have state rankings, travel and play tournaments or play on their high school or middle school tennis teams,” Ingham said. “Some of the kids play once a month, some play twice a month. The ones that have higher rankings play more tournaments just to try to keep their rankings up.”
At the Drysdale Sports Center, the chain-length fence is papered with the group’s achievements. One banner singles out the only state champion so far, Alex Gaines, 13, who won the boys 12 and under division in 2006.
Gaines said he is frequently asked if he practices every day. His answer: “Yes, at least I try. Sometimes I have Staff photo by Marimar McNaughton
Alex Gaines will be one of the Landfall Ace players heading back to Winston-Salem this weekend for the Tar Heel Qualifier. |
a lot of school work. That’s more important,” he said.
Gaines has played soccer and baseball, and he picked up tennis two years ago. He likes it a lot, but the pressure is on him this year as he enters a new age division.
“I try to be No. 1 in the state in every age group before I age out,” Gaines said. “I set my goals high.”
They are so high that the Noble Middle School student is contemplating a transfer to a tennis academy next year.
“He’s always been a pretty driven kid,” Ingham said. “That’s probably one of the reasons why he’s the state champion.”
Gaines, who is also coached by his father, Jim Gaines, who attended college on a tennis scholarship, is accompanied by his parents on the courts and to tournaments. His mom, Lori, plays with the girls for fun, and 6-year-old brother Westley is already inching his way up the ranks.
“This one’s got it, too,” Ingham said.
Other top 10 kids include 9-year-old Harrison Kent.
“He has two more years, so he’s a promising youngster,” Ingham said.
Kent lives in Wrightsville Beach and has been playing tennis at Landfall for a year and a half. He was excited about the qualifier. He said it was awesome last year, and he had every confidence that he would qualify again this year.
Kent said his goal this season was to finish in the top 30 in the boys 12 and under division.
“I’m trying to get my boys 12 ranking up,” Kent said.
Kent also plays football and confessed that it was his favorite sport, though the St. Mark Catholic School student was anxious to get
