TENNIS: MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

What a difference a year has made for Jackson High School sophomore Kim Anderson.

Last year at this time, Anderson was in a major period of depression. Despite qualifying for the Class 4A state tennis tournament as a freshman, she could not participate because of a serious knee injury.

But now, Anderson is all smiles and laughs. She has bounced back from major surgery in a big way, qualifying for state again. And she can't wait to finally compete against the best players Missouri has to offer.

"It wasn't very good last year. I was wanting to get out on the court so bad. It was really disappointing," said a smiling Anderson when asked to describe her feelings at about this same time last year. "Now I'm really excited, of course. I'm very happy I'm not injured and I'm able to go (to state)."

Anderson, who has lost just three times all season, will compete in the state tourney Friday and Saturday in Springfield, Mo. She qualified by winning the recent 4A, District 1 title played in Cape Girardeau, defeating Poplar Bluff's tough Megan Bridges in the finals to avenge a pair of regular-season losses to Bridges.

The only other loss for Anderson this year came in the team sectional competition against St. Joseph's Academy standout junior Kiki Stastny, who has already won two state titles and will be heavily favored to make it three in a row this weekend.

"She was just awesome," said Anderson, who did not win a game against Stastny but felt she performed relatively well. "I'm sure she'll be playing pro some day."

Anderson's knee gave out last year during the finals of the district tournament. She had to forfeit that match for one of only two defeats she suffered as a freshman, but by finishing second, she qualified for state. However, when the injury was diagnosed as a torn ACL, her season was over.

But instead of feeling too sorry for herself, Anderson worked hard to rehabilitate.

"It wasn't really frustrating," she said of the slow rehab process. "I was determined to work hard to come back."

Although Anderson is still wearing a brace when she plays she said she'll gladly be able to discard the brace in November her knee is feeling 100 percent.

"It feels good and I'm ready to go," she said.

Anderson began to play tennis at the age of 10 and really got serious about the sport about a year later. Ever since, she has played virtually throughout the year, often venturing outside the area for tournaments and other competition.

"When I first got interested, my dad and I would go to the park and play just as a fun activity," she said. "Then when I got to a certain skill level, it got to be a lot more fun. I started playing all the time when I was about 11 and I really love it. It's a great sport."

While her father Floyd has been her main coach outside of high school, Anderson has also gotten plenty of help from her cousin, Shane Anderson, the parks and recreation director for the city of Jackson who is arguably the area's premier adult player.

"Shane has such a good technical knowledge of the game, when I was starting out, he knew so much about it and he really helped me," she said. "I looked up to him and I could always go to him for advice. He still helps me a lot."

Anderson, whose ultimate goal is to earn a college tennis scholarship, has no specific goals for her first trip to state.

"So much of it depends on the draw and I really don't know what to expect since it's my first time," she said. " I'm just going to play hard and play as well as I can and see what happens."

* Charleston will have two players competing in the 1A-3A state tourney, also to be held Friday and Saturday in Springfield, as the doubles team of Lauren Carlisle and Mindi Luehmann qualified by finishing second in the local district meet.