From one court to the other

Margaret Boyette had to make a choice.

With the advice of her parents and Athens Academy's administrators, Boyette decided as a freshman to forsake all other sports and focus on tennis.

"It was a matter of if I wanted to continue tennis after high school," she said. "I knew that if I wanted to keep up with the girls I was playing with in the tournaments, I needed to only focus on tennis. It was a really hard decision."

Athletic director Kevin Petroski, who took over the helm of the girls basketball team before Boyette's freshman season, knew he was losing a player that could be a strong asset.

"While I was upset that she wasn't going to continue to play, I was understanding of what her strengths were and that is definitely in tennis," Petroski said. "It has definitely worked out for the best."

That decision led to a number of sacrifices for Boyette, but possibly none larger than giving up a sport she enjoyed - basketball.

For nearly three years, she had to watch her friends go to basketball games and practices, while she continued to focus on her goal of a tennis scholarship.

The sacrifice paid off in the form of a tennis scholarship to Furman and three successful seasons as the No. 1 singles player for the Lady Spartans.

But for her senior year, there was one more thing Boyette wanted to do - play an entire season on the girls basketball team.

"It has been a nice break because it has always been tennis," Boyette said. "I have been able to get back to a sport I really like a lot and I really missed it."

Led by Boyette, the Athens Academy girls tennis team reached the Class A state semifinals last season and Class A state finals in the 2008 season. Both years, she was named the Banner-Herald girls tennis player of the year.

In November of 2009, Boyette picked Furman over a number of other schools as the place to continue her tennis career. Getting that scholarship out of the way opened the door for other sports - namely basketball.

Boyette played basketball in middle school before stopping to focus on tennis. Last year, she helped out the Lady Spartans occasionally because the team was lacking in numbers.

This year, she is a permanent fixture in Athens Academy's low post.

"She promised me she was going to be full-time basketball this year," Petroski said. "She is committed to that. She has not missed any

Rate This Article: - Excellent Good Average Poor Terrible

Comment on "From one court to the other"

Your Name

Your Comments

Verification Code: K63W8B
Enter Code:

Related News: