Clark Rue | Senior | Westside High School
Westside High School senior Clark Rue enjoys the independence of tennis, but he’s definitely a team player. “I find being part of a team is important when you’re out on the court,” he said. “It gives me motivation to succeed not only for myself, but for my teammates as well. It’s really cool to be able to share victories on the court with your team.”
His motivation comes from watching players that are at a higher skill level. “I visualize myself playing at their level to help perfect my form and elevate my play. I have always had a natural drive to compete. I love competition and I love competing against other good players. It’s such a good feeling to beat someone you’ve lost to in the past. It confirms my desire to work hard and improve.” In addition to tennis, Rue participates in track and field as well as unified basketball.
Bart Jeseritz, head tennis coach for Westside, said Rue was integral to the team’s success this past season. “He was our team captain and was a huge part of leading our team to a second-place finish at the Metro Tournament and a fourth place State finish. He is a completely selfless teammate and only wants what is best for the team. It will be a huge loss for Westside not having him, however, the work he and his fellow seniors put in have helped establish a team culture that will last long after they are gone.”
Things haven’t always been easy for Rue. “There was a period of time where I wasn’t improving at tennis and it frustrated me because I had just completed a really good high school season. I overcame it by analyzing what was going wrong, then figuring out how to solve the issue. For me, this meant staying calm and being more strategic during my matches.”
He plans to apply that strategic thinking as a tennis player at the collegiate level. And his ultimate goal? “I want to be a commercial pilot so I’m going to flight school and earn a degree in engineering.”
