By Jessica Beeli
Staff Writer
Sophomore Brooke Swallow, one of the newest additions to Mira Costa’s girls varsity tennis team, is looking forward to a successful season on the team.
Swallow moved to Manhattan Beach from Las Vegas, Nevada over the summer. She played for her high school in Nevada, Bishop Gorman High School, and now plays for Mira Costa’s varsity team as number two for singles.
“Playing tennis in Nevada was a great experience, but I’m excited to play for Costa now,” Swallow said.
Swallow was first exposed to tennis at a young age while playing with her parents. When she was eight, Swallow began playing competitively.
“Brooke has been playing tennis almost her whole life,” Brooke’s mother, Debra Swallow said. “She first picked up a racket when she was five years old.”
Once Brooke started playing tennis, she dedicated herself to the sport. She focused on her lessons at a young age and became part of the United States Tennis Association, the largest tennis organization in the world, at the age of 11. She started playing in tennis tournaments when she was 12.
“I started playing tournaments and doing pretty well,” Swallow said. “I played well enough to get noticed by sponsors.”
By the time she was 12 years old, Swallow was sponsored by Wilson Sporting Goods, one of the largest sports equipment manufacturers in the world, and a sponsor of many professional tennis players.
“Wilson was my sponsor for a while, but I switched rackets a while back,” Swallow said. “Now I’m hoping to get them to sponsor me again.”
During her 2011 season, Swallow led her team at Bishop Gorman to the state championships, defeating the defending state champions 11-1.
“We worked really hard and managed to beat the number one team,” Swallow said. “It was really fulfilling.”
Mira Costa’s tennis Coach, Joe Ciasulli, is training Swallow along with other members of Mira Costa’s girls tennis team. Ciasulli has received amazed responses on Swallow’s performance from other teams’ coaches.
“Two coaches have come up to me during our games and said, ‘where did you find that girl?’” Ciasulli said.
Swallow plays both singles and doubles, however, she has been playing singles for Mira Costa so far.
“I really enjoy playing singles more than doubles” Swallow said. “It makes the game a little more challenging. It also really makes you run a lot. It’s good exercise.”
Swallow hopes that her tennis achievements will help her in all aspects of her life. She hopes to ultimately receive a scholarship to a university for her success in tennis.
“I am hoping for a tennis scholarship for college,” Swallow said. “Maybe even a California school, such as UCLA or Stanford.”
Swallow hopes to continue her tennis career throughout her time at Mira Costa. Along with improving her tennis skills, she hopes to succeed in bringing Mira Costa to victory with her teammates.
“It’s great to have Brooke on the team,” senior Alex Waller said. “Not only is she a really good player, but she’s a really good teammate as well”.
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