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Senior Spotlight: Rachel Ceaglske, Bay Port Girls Tennis

BY RICH PALZEWIC
CORRESPONDENT


Rachel Ceaglske is a senior member of the Bay Port girls tennis team. “Rach” as her friends call her, plans to attend college, but she’s not quite sure where yet. Ceaglske (pronounced ‘See-gell-ski’) most likely will study bio-chemistry with an emphasis in pre-med, before moving on to medical school. 
Name
: Rachel Ceaglske
Nickname: Rach
Parents: Mary Ann & Steve
School: Bay Port
Sport: tennis
Twitter: @Rceaglske
Do you have any siblings? “I have a brother who plays tennis and we have a foreign exchange student named Paula from Spain who also plays tennis. She is a sophomore.”
Did you ever do any other high school sports besides tennis? “I used to do track, now I’m the track manager.”
When did you do track? “That was my freshman and sophomore year.”
What events did you do? “I pole vaulted. It was fun while it lasted.”
How’d you get started playing tennis? “I started when I was at Bay View, so 7th grade. Up until the Bay Port (tennis) tournament freshman year, I was going to play volleyball, but I went to the tournament, had a lot of fun and Coach Steve just gave me a uniform and I was on the team! I liked volleyball, but since they are in the same season, I had to pick one.”
Speaking of Coach Steve and Lindsay, what’s it like playing for them? “They have a good balance. Steve definitely motivates and gives strategy and Lindsay is always there encouraging you. I completely trust the coaches because they’ve had really successful teams. Everything they do is to make the team and us better. (Assistants) Sue Graber and Nick Brault are also great coaches.”
What do you like most about the game? “I like how mental the game is. You can win any match that you want if you are on top of your mental game. I like how the whole team is connected, but it’s still about you putting forth your own effort in your match.”
Have you ever felt totally outmatched in a match? “My partner Devan (Perry) and I played Homestead – the No. 1 team in the state – and we knew we were overmatched. We had a lot of fun and stayed positive.”
Did you win any games that match? “We did! We won two games.”
Do you take lessons? “I’ve taken a couple of private lessons and some small-group things with the team over winter, but nothing more than that.”
Do you have an embarrassing tennis moment? “Only the several times that I’ve completely whiffed an overhead.”
How about a most memorable tennis moment? “The postseason last year when Hannah (Gustafson) and I really clicked well. We rocked it out. We didn’t make it to state, but we played well. Also, off the court, all the memories of travel with the coaches and team.”
Have you seen any live professional tennis matches? “We saw a match at the Western & Southern Open on our preseason trip to Cincinnati. It was crazy to see because they hit so hard and are so good.”
Which professional major would you like to see? “I would love to see Wimbledon of course.”
Have you ever played on any other surface besides a hard court? “No, but I’d love to try.”
Since you’ve played lots of tennis, what about pickleball? “I have before…it’s different. It’s kind of weird, so I’d rather play tennis.”
How long have you had your Black Belt? Any thoughts on continuing to advance? “I did it from 2nd grade through 9th. I got my black belt in the 8th grade. I don’t think I will continue.”
Do any colleges come to mind where you’d like to go“I want to go maybe in the U.P. of Michigan, Colorado or North Dakota. I would love to play tennis in college, but studies come first.”
Where in Michigan? I’m a Yooper. “I applied and was accepted at Northern Michigan University.”
That’s where I went way back yonder. “Did you really? That’s cool.”
What are some of your hobbies? “I like to downhill ski with my family and we’re on the Waterboard Warriors Water Ski Show Team out of Wrightstown. We won state in Division 2 this year and took second in D2 Nationals in Tomahawk. I also like to read a lot.”
Which teammate would be fun to travel with on a cross-country road trip? “Emily Wick is really fun to travel with…we watch all these videos in the car. She screams and sings all the lyrics to all these songs. Jordanne (Hanson), Sophie (Martell) and Cathleen (Graber) are all fun, too.”
Dogs or cats? “Dogs.”
Fruits or veggies? “Fruits.”
Chocolate or vanilla? “Vanilla.”
Read the book or watch the movie? “Read the book.”
Singles or doubles? “doubles.”
What do you like about doubles? “I like being with my partner and it’s more aggressive. I just really like having my teammate there to celebrate with and to pump each other up.”
Favorites:
Food: steak
Book: Harry Potter
Subject: chemistry
Cereal: Crispix
Candy: Kit Kat
Coach Steve Matuszewski’s comments: “Rachel has been great for us all year. She’s worked hard in the offseason and is the epitome of a Bay Port Pirate – works hard, good kid and will do anything you ask of her. She never complains about anything and always does what’s best for the team, no matter if it’s playing singles or doubles. We will for sure miss her.”
Notes: suggestions for the Senior Spotlight can be submitted to Rich via email ([email protected]) or by Twitter (@richpalzewic)… all spotlights can be found online at thepress.media… CLICK HERE to check out last week’s spotlight on Bay Port diver Brightyn Zuelke.

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