Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Madeline Baxter

Each week, Marple Newtown Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. This week, we highlight Marple Newtown senior Maddy Baxter for qualifying for District Singles in girls tennis this fall.

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Madeline "Maddy" Baxter

Whiz Kid's Age: 17

Whiz Kid's School:

Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: Maddy qualified for the District Singles Competition in Girls Tennis after a strong showing in the Central League Singles.  She won her first match in the district competition on Oct. 6 and moved onto the second round. This was Maddy's first time qualifying for District Singles. She plays first singles for Marple Newtown.

Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: When she heard the news that she qualified for the competition, "I was pretty excited especially because I've never qualified before," shared Maddy.

Her last year on the team, Maddy said although she wouldn't have been too upset if she didn't make it, "it was good to go out with a bang."

Maddy began playing tennis at the age of 10 or 11 after watching her sister and mother play.

"My mom's a big fan of tennis. She didn't start until she was a mom," said Maddy. "My sister started playing and then I started taking lessons too."

Maddy quickly picked up the sport and soon began competing in tournaments and competition. But she admits the sport didn't really come naturally to her, and began to take a toll on her. Her last major tournament was in Collegeville for a 14 and Under competition.

"I had to practice a lot," remembered Maddy. "In middle school, I practiced maybe five days a week. I think I got burnt out. It was fun but at the end of the day, tennis is a really competitive game. If you don't keep up with it, it gets really hard to compete with others. It was a lot of pressure."

When she entered high school, she didn't practice as much and entered less tournaments, relieving her of some of the pressure. Playing on a team has helped that pressure and has brought back the fun for Maddy.

"Playing on a team–it's just more fun to win as a team," said Maddy. "At the end of the day, even if you lose, you have your friends and teammates to support you."

After winning her match in the first round of the District Singles Competition, Maddy moved on to the second round only to face the first seed. But she took the match in stride, playing her best and simply enjoying her time at the competition.

"It was just great being there," said Maddy modestly. "I didn't have anything to lose. So, I tried to do things that I normally don't do–drop shots, hitting it as hard as I could."

Though it hasn't hit her yet that it's her last year at Marple Newtown, Maddy said she hopes to take the year "bonding with everyone before I leave." And in the meantime, she's been "trying to have fun and getting to know the other kids in class that I don't know."

Some things she's looking forward to this year: senior project (perhaps working at a local bakery), prom and graduation.

Maddy is currently in the process of applying to several colleges–University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Villanova University, and Penn State University, just to name a few. Though she may not play on a team in college, Maddy said she expects to at least play on a club and will continue to play tennis when she, too, becomes a mom someday and through retirement.

Editor's note: Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid.