OJAI VALLEY TENNIS TOURNAMENT: SACKS CAN HANDLE IT.Byline: Nevin Barich Nevin Barich (born August 6, 1979) is a former American sports journalist now working as the Senior Editor of The National Notary, a trade magazine based in Los Angeles with a circulation of more than 300,000 nationwide. Staff Writer Gary Sacks isn't afraid of big competitions. Sacks, a freshman for the Calabasas High tennis team, has been playing in big tournaments since he was little, so competing at the 102nd Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament beginning Thursday shouldn't scare him. The event draws hundreds of the top high school players in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, every year. Born in South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. , Sacks began playing tennis at 4 and soon was competing in several tournaments. By the time he left home to come to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. three years ago, he was ranked third in South Africa among players 12 and under. Recently, Sacks won the Super Nationals in August in San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. . The tournament featured not only some of the nation's best high school players, but also crowds much larger than prep players are used to. The final drew 300 people. ``Playing in big tournaments in front of big crowds doesn't bother me,'' said Sacks, who is ranked fourth in Southern California among players 16 and under. ``It's not overwhelming at all.'' However, he is realistic about his chances of winning a title. ``I have a chance,'' Sacks said. ``I have a shot, but I'll be going up against guys who are much older and a lot bigger than I am.'' Calabasas coach Wayne Quigley also said the odds of Sacks winning are long. ``Gary will definitely have a tough road ahead,'' Quigley said. ``Gary is really good, but he's going to be playing against guys in this tournament who are as old as 18.'' Still, it would be a mistake for those older and bigger opponents to not take Sacks seriously, based on appearance. Sacks wouldn't appear to be able to put much on the ball, standing 5-foot-8 and weighing just 125 pounds. But looks can be deceiving. Sacks has incredible ground strokes, and he's often able to blast the ball just inside the sidelines Sidelines Hypothetical position referring to noninvolvement in a stock; merely watching. . ``When people think of a tennis team, you tend to think players look up to some of the older guys,'' sophomore Andy Rebhun said. ``But Gary has helped me so much with my game just by hitting with him. I never thought I would look up to an underclassman, but we all do with Gary.'' Sacks has done a lot of work to prepare for Ojai. Last weekend, he competed in a tournament in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. for players 18 and under to get used to playing older opponents. Also, Sacks has been working with a personal trainer personal trainer person n → (persönlicher) Fitnesstrainer m, (persönliche) Fitnesstrainerin f to improve his footwork and increase his speed. And Sacks has been spending time "Spending Time" is the first single released by Christian artist Stellar Kart. The lyrics describe the band members desire to spend "more time with God". "Sometimes it’s a real struggle to spend time with God. in the gym, lifting weights to increase his strength. Sacks, who is 31-3 in singles for the Coyotes this season, also said playing for Calabasas the past four months has improved his game. He said his serve has gotten much stronger and his ground strokes have gotten harder. Sacks has been trained for three years by Steve McAvoy, a coach at the Calabasas Swim and Tennis Center. ``Under Coach McAvoy, I'm hitting the ball much harder than I used to, and I've gotten more consistent,'' Sacks said. |
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