With his eye on the bright yellow ball and his racket up and ready, Senior Peter Laskey prepared to hit the ball one more time and, moments later, learned that he had reached a major milestone in his tennis career.

     On April 16, 2021, Laskey won his first singles tennis match, beating his Campbell County opponent, 6-0, 6-0. However, this was not an ordinary win. 

     Shortly after the match, his coach, Kris Laskey, and the athletic director, Wes Caldwell, came onto the court, giving him a racket, announcing that this was Laskey’s 100th win on the Highlands varsity tennis team.

     Laskey has been on the team since fifth grade. Tennis runs in his family, so it was not surprising that he was on the court as a little kid. He started playing with his mom when he was five or six years old. His mom would throw him balls and take him to the courts.

     “I started playing because it was sort of a family tradition,” he explained, adding that his mom played for Purdue University and his three older sisters played in high school.

     After watching his sisters while he was in elementary school, Laskey knew tennis was something he wanted to do. Coach Laskey, his mom, and the boys’ varsity coach, also aided in encouraging him to play tennis and helped teach him. 

     “My mom is the one who pushed me the most, signed me up for tournaments, and encouraged [me] to continue to practice,” he said. “I owe a lot to my mom.”

     According to Coach Laskey, Peter’s training consists of going to a tennis clinic six to eight hours a week whenever he is not busy with other activities and simply practicing a lot. She explained that the best way to train for tennis is repetition. He does the most training from November to February, after cross country and before the tennis season, and is on the court most days in the spring.

     Having his mother as a coach also helped him to manage a busy schedule. She allowed him to schedule tennis around his conflicts, due to the many other activities that he is part of such as theatre, band, and cross country. These activities have also helped him improve as a tennis player. 

     Kris Laskey said, “Peter likes to run [Highlands Cross Country] which is a great way to cross-train for tennis.”

     Running helps improve Peter’s footwork in tennis. Staying involved in other activities has also helped him continue tennis. Coach Laskey explained that year-round tennis players can get burned-out, and lose interest in the sport. 

     While Laskey was involved in multiple sports growing up, tennis is the one he has played the longest. Laskey started playing on the varsity team in fifth grade. He continues to enjoy the sport because tennis has a good combination of physical and mental aspects. 

     “I have kept playing tennis because I enjoy the sport. I enjoy playing for my high school, and I really cherish the team aspect of the sport.”