Rising in the ranks: Polson netter wins Bozeman tournament
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In just one short year, Polson Middle School netter Jade Newman has gone from an average tennis player to a champion among her peers. The youngster’s most recent success came at the USTA Herb Kirk Junior Open in Bozeman Nov. 11-13, where she bounced back from an early loss to secure a first place victory in the 12s Singles.
“She’s been competing for a year, and this was her second time at the tournament,” father Chad Newman said. “Last year she kinda just played. She’s definitely improved over the past year.”
Always involved with athletics, Jade plays volleyball for Polson Middle School and also plays golf and tennis at an individual level.
The tournament featured 75 athletes from Canada, Georgia, Washington and Wyoming, but that didn’t intimidate Newman one bit.
“As a parent, (winning the tournament) is huge, considering she’s coming from Polson,” Chad said. “The majority of the kids at the tournament come from big cities like Bozeman and Great Falls, where they have indoor courts to practice on.”
With no indoor courts in Polson, Jade has been traveling to Missoula once a week to use indoor facilities and participate in a league at the Peak Fitness Center.
“On warmer days, we’ll get out and swing the racquet,” Chad said. “I’ve also been working on a net in the garage so she can at least practice her swing inside.”
At the Junior Open, Newman began with a loss to Karissa Tu of Bozeman in the 14s singles, 7-5, 6-2 on opening day before bouncing back by defeating Emma McLeod of Lethbridge, Alberta, in the 12s Singles, 6-1, 6-0 the following day. With the win, Jade advanced to the championship match for 12s Singles, where she was awarded a No. 1 seed and a first round bye.
Chad says Sunday’s play wasn’t easy, as Jade first played in the 14s Singles consolation match at 7 a.m. against Hannah Haas of Helena. Jade won in a tie breaker 9-8. After a short break, she played in the 12s championship match at 10:30 a.m., where she took on Bozeman’s Ashley Mineau.
According to Chad, both players had matured and improved significantly since their first meeting last year at the Glacier Junior Classic in Kalispell.
“There is a bit of rivalry between the two,” Chad said. “Mineau led the series between her and Jade two to one.”
“Mineau and Newman worked at each other trying to find weaknesses,” Chad said. “The match was a mixture of hard-hitting baseline rallies, net play and amazing angle shots.”
After an hour and a half of play, Jade came out on top, defeating Mineau 6-2, 6-2.
“Every once in awhile I would have a tough player come along where I would have to step it up a notch,” Jade said. “Most of the players were at my level or higher. Everyone was pretty good.”
Jade says she was surprised at winning the battle against Mineau, stating, “it just kind of flowed through.”
“I try to be competitive,” she said. “Over the summer I worked really hard with Bob Hislop after school and on the weekends. The lessons helped a lot.”
Jade also worked with her father Chad and mother Haeok when she wasn’t practicing with her coach.
With her recent success, Jade says she is excited to begin playing for Polson High School and has big plans early on.
“My goal is playing in State as a freshman and sophomore,” she smiled.
