Published: Tuesday, Jun. 09, 2009 / Updated: Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2009 09:16 AM
Grad part of all-star tennis weekend
As a senior on the Fort Mill tennis team this spring, Kyle Orsburn was instrumental in leading the Yellow Jackets to a 13-1 record, a region championship and making it into the second round of the state playoffs.
But that was not the end of his high school career.
Orsburn was selected as one of the top 12 seniors in the state, from all high schools, 1A - 4A, and invited to take part in the recent North/South all-star tennis weekend in Myrtle Beach.
"It meant a lot. It was an awesome experience to meet all the other good tennis players," Orsburn said.
The 12 seniors were given a 10-bedroom condo on Surfside Beach for the May 29-31 weekend, complete with tennis courts just a short walk away.
"A group of us went out to play everyday," Orsburn said. Even though the only required tennis was that Saturday morning, when each player played one singles match and one doubles match.
In Orsburn's singles match, he lost to Bluffton standout Manning Miller, 6-7, 3-6.
"I went up early, but I'm pretty sure he's a cross-country runner and he's going to run in college, so he outlasted me," Orsburn said.
In doubles action, Orsburn, alongside Emerald High School's Alex Biffle, won the match over Manning and Irmo's Travis Reed, 8-2.
"We played really well together. We had never heard of each other before, but now were kind of like doubles partners. We became friends," Orsburn said.
The match made the difference in the overall competition between the North and South schools. The North won, 5-4.
Orsburn said he and Biffle will likely enter the junior hard court championships this summer in Columbia, both as individuals and as a doubles tandem, and if they play well there, they may look into a couple national tournaments in Atlanta or Washington, D.C.
Although the players competed against one another, Orsburn said he felt like that was not the primary focus of the event.
"The whole purpose of the weekend was for a whole bunch of guys with the same talents and abilities to get together," he said. "It wasn't all about the tournament - it was a reward for a good season. I definitely didn't want to go home."
Orsburn, who will attend Winthrop University, said he is thinking about walking on to the Eagles tennis team next fall.
"I have four friends on the team and I've been working with some coaches. I'm really excited about it," he said.
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