A Graduation Feel-Good Story

For high school student Stephanie Lutz to graduate as a 4-year varsity player in tennis and basketball, and a 3-year varsity player in volleyball is a big achievement. Did I mention she made it to the state tournament in tennis each year? What if I told you she’s one of her class of 592 students’ valedictorians with a perfect 4.0 GPA? Oh, by the way, she’s also the student body president.

That’s an impressive list of accomplishments for any student.

What makes this Portland, Oregon resident’s achievements even more inspiring is the circumstances she overcame. You could say that Stephanie faced more challenges than the typical student at David Douglass High School.

Per Lindsay Schnell’s article in The Oregonian, her dad Terry Lutz couldn’t receive a ticket to her graduation because he

“… is serving a 40-year prison sentence in Ontario and has not seen his daughter in 12 years. She should have given one to her brother, T.J., but he has been dead for 10 years, having killed himself when Stephanie was 8.

It’s surprising that Valerie Lutz, Stephanie’s mom, is even able to attend. In Stephanie’s freshman year, her mom was taken away in handcuffs, arrested for selling and using drugs.

“I was walking home from my bus stop when I saw blue and red flashing lights from my house,” Stephanie wrote this school year in a scholarship essay. “Knowing that it was a police car, I raced to see what was going on. As I reached my driveway I saw an officer direct my ragged mother into his car. I began to sob and yell in hysteria. A woman that I had never seen before then approached me. She informed me that she was from DHS and that I would need to pack my belongings and go with her. My worse fear had finally become a reality. … I was put into foster care.”

Eventually, Stephanie settled in at her aunt’s house and later moved in at a friend’s house. But, some of the early years were tough. At a very young age, she was forced to fend for herself without the encouragement of a parent or adult in her life. When she grew fearful of drug dealers who were visiting her house, Stephanie turned to sports and other after-school activities to avoid them. As with her studies, she excelled in these pursuits.

Lutz recently received a $10,000 scholarship from Stand for Children, a national organization dedicated to ensuring excellent public education for everyone. Lutz will use the scholarship and a financial aid package that will cover her educational costs to attend Tufts University in Boston where she hopes her studies will lead to her becoming a veterinarian.

Stephanie’s inspirational story shows that it’s possible to overcome the most difficult of circumstances and excel.

Beating the Odds video:

Stephanie Lutz: From chaos, with honors — The Oregonian

Arthur Ashe, a Graceful Leader (1943 – 1993)

” True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” –Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe, a star tennis player in the 1960s and 1970s, is now remembered as much for his actions off the tennis court as on. That speaks volumes, as Ashe was a great tennis player. Jack Kramer ranked him as one of the top 21 players of all-time. He was the only African-American to win at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the U.S. Open.

Off the court, he was a civil rights leader noted for his strong anti-apartheid stance. After contacting AIDs himself from a blood transfusion, he did much to call attention to the deadly disease. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. He started the National Junior Tennis League and served as Captain of the U.S. Davie Cup team.

Throughout his tennis career, and after, he was noted for the grace and dignity in which he related to others. The NCAA ranked him #2 on most influential student-athletes (behind only Jackie Robinson). He lived by his own words, “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.”

A student put this video on Arthur Ashe together for a history class:

Roger Federer, a class act on and off the court, leads tennis revival

Tennis participation throughout the U.S. continued its growth on every measurable level in 2008 with more players, nearly 26.9 million, mixing it up on the courts than at anytime in the past 15 years according to The United States Tennis Association and Tennis Industry Association. The days of being able to guarantee an available court at your local park are gone.

Many factors have undoubtedly played a role in making tennis more popular again including TV coverage of professional tennis, the relative inexpensiveness of the sport and the fact that it’s good exercise. Another big reason for the increased popularity is the number and quality of stars at the professional level. None of the stars shine brighter than Roger Federer.

Federer is on the verge of tieing the record set by Pete Sampras for most Grand Slam single titles won. In tennis, the Grand Slam events include: Wimbledon, The U.S. Open, The French Open and The Australian Open. The Swiss star is noted for his stylish game and is capable of winning in so many ways. Jimmy Connors said of him, “In an era of specialists – you’re either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist or a hard court specialist — or you’re Roger Federer.” John McEnroe has referred to Federer’s forehand as, “the greatest shot in our sport.” He spent a record 237 weeks ranked #1 in the sport.

In addition to his mastery on the court, his actions and manner off the court have set him apart. Always gracious in victory and defeat, he finds a way to treat everyone with respect. A former ball boy, he is known for not only funding pizza parties for the ball boy teams after events, but also on occasion showing up and sharing in the festivities. Respectful of officials and opponents, he sets a great example for younger players.

His Roger Federer Foundation “supports education, sports and leisure activities in places with little or no funding at all.” A Goodwill Ambassador for Unicef, Federer helped the United Nations launch the “International Year of Sport and Physical Education” with Kofi Annan in 2004. Following the devastating tsunami of 2005, Federer led several fundraising initiatives including the ATP All-Star Rally for Relief, a fundraising exhibition event featuring top players in tennis.

ENJOY THIS VIDEO OF ROGER IN ACTION ON THE COURTS