by Siobhan Richards
Even though sophomore Owen Anketell has been in the U.S. Paralympic National Championships and the Kelly-Brush Century Ride, this spring he has decided to challenge himself further by joining the tennis team. He is the first wheelchair tennis player Hudson High School has ever had.
Anketell has a disease called Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, a disease only three people in the United States have. He has crutches to walk; however, he is usually confined to a wheelchair.
Owen’s first introduction to tennis was from a two-week unit in eighth grade taught by gym teacher and girls varsity tennis coach Carolyn Weed.
“When I had Owen in physical education class way back when, he brought in an extra chair, and we had kids play against him. It was really fun and really challenging for all of us,” Weed said. “Even as someone who has played my whole life, once I got in that chair, I had no control and Owen was kicking everyone’s butt.”
Weed originally introduced Owen to the idea of playing after a chance meeting with wheelchair tennis coach Dick Lane.
She had been playing in a couple of tennis leagues outside of coaching. At one match at Harvard University, she saw Lane, who is also in a wheelchair, playing against an able-bodied person. After Lane’s match, they discussed the challenges of playing in a wheelchair, and that was when Weed told him about Owen.
“His face lit up, and he asked about Owen playing. Even though it had only been a couple weeks in eighth grade, he wanted to know if Owen would play. We exchanged information, and I asked him,” Weed said.
Though he did not have much experience with tennis, Owen was up for a new challenge. He agreed to play, and before the season began Anketell worked with Lane on learning the sport. Lane has been coaching for about 10 years and has worked with many wheelchair athletes.
“I worked pretty close with him for about a month before the school team started,” Lane said. “It was great. He is a very energetic kid, most of the time. He listens, always tries to improve himself. It was his first time in a sports chair, and it was really fun to watch.”
Lane set Owen up with a special sports wheelchair to help maneuver the court better. This chair has slanted wheels for quicker turns and a bar with smaller wheels on the back to keep him balanced. With this wheelchair he can move faster and keep up with the game.
In addition to the special wheelchair, Anketell has certain rules to help him while playing. Instead of getting one bounce, he gets two to give him more reaction time to reach the ball.
JV boys tennis coach Rocky Zina has been coaching tennis for 13 years; however, this is his first wheelchair athlete.
“It’s a very different experience for us, and we tried to do a little research on the web to find out what specifically in his sport that we could help him with. His sport is just like ours, so it’s tennis, but he does have certain rules,” Coach Zina said.
Despite some of the initial challenges, Anketell has adjusted to the fast pace of tennis.
“I just have to be quick, and I have to start moving before the ball is over the net. Every time I hit the ball, I have to go back to the baseline at the end of the court so that I have a good starting point from every hit that they make. I have to watch where they make contact on their racket so that I can see which direction the ball is going, and I can have an idea of which direction I need to start pushing in.”
Anketell has been biking for 7 years and skiing for 12. This is much different from those activities, which are individual sports. Tennis is the first team sport he has been a part of, and that in itself has brought challenges but also a new perspective.
“In cycling I have no teammates that I can rely on. It’s all done on my own. I just go out and ride, and I can take as long as I want or go wherever I want. But in tennis if I miss the ball, it’s my fault. It’s good because when I’m playing, I have someone to rely on if I’m not able to hit the ball. Also with the team there’s a lot of coaching that happens, and I’m able to get more feedback and really learn from my coaches that I don’t [learn] with cycling,” Anketell said.
This season Owen has played doubles matches with many of the kids on the team. At his most recent match, he played with freshman Sean Morton, who is very supportive of Anketell and his decision to play tennis this year.
“When I found out that Owen was doing tennis, I thought, ‘Wow, that is amazing.’ Owen is a really cool guy and has learned how to do so many cool things despite his disability. I’m really proud of him. He’s doing well.”
Other teams have also commented on him after matches. One team thought it was so inspirational that they wanted a photo with him on the court.
Some of his opponents have tried to go easy on him during matches.
“It helps me when they do. If they do try hard, I mean, I don’t really care. They’re there to win just like I am. That’s just the sport,” Anketell said. “I know what I’m capable of, and if it really came down to it, I think I could be able to do everything that they are able to do. There are certain extra rules that I get, so I do have a little more time to react.”
Despite an up and down first season, Anketell says he hopes to continue to play throughout his high school career. His goal for the next three years is to play in a singles match. Through it all he has remained an athlete and has never let it stop him from pursuing what he wants.
