Connellsville tennis player does double duty
On Connellsville Area High School’s tennis courts, senior tennis player Gretchen Beatty has gone from sunscreen, sun glasses and sunburn to winter coats, hoodies and snow shovels.
Oh, how the weather affects high school tennis. During the fall girls season, temperatures often reach into the 80s. Practices and matches are seldom canceled or delayed by the weather. Compare those conditions with the boys spring season: cold, rain, snow flurries and, yes, occasional accumulations all play havoc with the schedule, canceling practices and matches, alike.
For four years — and seven seasons, four with her girls team and three as manager of the boys team — Beatty has seen, and experienced, it all.
After attending a tennis clinic when she was a freshman, Beatty was bitten by the tennis bug.
As a freshman, Beatty played second singles with the junior varsity squad. Climbing the varsity ladder as a sophomore, she played in the no. 2 singles slot for three seasons, piling up 22 varsity wins and competing in section tournaments at both second singles and with the No. 1 doubles team.
When her season ended, she focused on helping with the boys team, remaining close to the sport and honing her skills.
“I could see her progress each season,” Connellsville girls and boys coach Bill Ricks said. “Gretchen made definite progress each season, including improved skills development and more court awareness. She is a fighter and was determined to win every match. She displayed great fighting spirit on the court and fought until the last point.”
If there was a flaw in Beatty’s game, it was that “she may have tried to over-hit at times,” Ricks said, complimenting his graduating senior’s tenacity. “But generally she stayed within herself and managed her game well. She is a solid player, with a good serve and forehand, and a good approach to shots. She learned about the game and made steady improvement.”
As coaches are wont to do, Ricks immediately recalled one of Beatty’s biggest matches.
Against WPIAL power Franklin Regional last year, Beatty defeated the Panthers No. 2 player in straight sets. “Gretchen simply played an outstanding match that day,” Ricks said.
But Ricks saw more in Beatty than as just a high school tennis player. “Gretchen is an extremely well-rounded young woman,” he added. “She is involved in numerous school clubs and activities and is extremely involved in her church as well as volunteering in several outreach programs.”
Besides serving as a puppeteer at the Buchanan Church of God Youth Group, in White, Pa., near Donegal, she has been a member of the church’s nursery staff and served as Sunday School Teacher’s Aide for pre-school and elementary school students.
At Connellsville Area High School, Beatty is a member of the Good Neighbor Community Service Club, volunteering as a Salvation Army bell ringer during the Christmas season and working to remove garbage and litter from the town and surrounding areas.
However, what opened Beatty’s eyes to the plight of the less fortunate was her initial venture into volunteering outside of her church environment some two years ago with the End Hunger Café in Latrobe.
“It was an eye opener to see first-hand and realize and understand that there are homeless people even in small towns, not just in major cities,” she said. “At the End Hunger Café, through our church, we served food to the homeless. It opened my eyes to see what the homeless of all ages go through and understand the difficulties they face on a daily basis. There were children through the elderly, male and female alike. It was especially distressing to see little kids being so hungry, especially when I’ve never experienced anything like this. It was definitely a good feeling to help them.”
While every team or individual, in any sport, does not experience a WPIAL championship, Beatty saw the advantages teamwork offers. “Meeting and making new friends and working together on the court can be as rewarding as any championship,” she said.
In addition to being a four-year member of the tennis team at Connellsville, Beatty has also been active in Peer Mentoring, a member of the High School Choir, Yearbook Staff, Prom Committee, and Student Council. She is a four-year honors student and a member of the National Honor Society.
With her scholastic career coming to a close, Beatty plans to attend either the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown or Washington & Jefferson College to major in Marketing.
“I had a marketing class in school and saw a potential career in that field,” she said. “I was excited about the programs we were involved with in class and found there are so many opportunities available.”