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Gardner hopes to find his place in Columbus
By Doug Chapin
COLUMBUS
In general, knowing is considered better than not knowing. For the most part we fear the unknown and value experience.
But for Poland senior tennis player Garrett Gardner not knowing could be a positive this week at the Division II state tournament at the Ohio State University outdoor varsity courts. He said he knows little about his first-round opponent, Chris Bak, a junior from Cincinnati Clark Montessori School.
“I don’t know much about him. I’ve seen some results and I’m happy to see he has lost to a few kids I’ve competed with,” Gardner said about Bak. “I want to treat my first match like I’m playing in the final. He’s probably a good player. Everyone down there is a good player. I don’t know much about him, but I feel confident. I think if I play the way I should I can win.”
The first two rounds of the single-elimination tournament are scheduled Friday. On Saturday, the semifinal, consolation and championship matches will be played.
Bak finished fourth in the Cincinnati district, considered the most competitive district in the state. Gardner won the northeast district title for the second straight year.
“I think I have a good draw overall. The two kids who I would play in the second round are names I didn’t recognize,” he said. “I don’t want to get too confident, they could still be really good players, but it’s nice seeing names you don’t recognize.
“ I definitely want to win two matches. Getting to Saturday is my goal and I hope to place. It would be great to take a medal back to Poland.”
A year ago Gardner’s district championship didn’t seem to help him in the draw. He faced returning state qualifier John Larkin, a senior from Cincinnati Seven Hills who had finished third in the Cincinnati district. Larkin eventually finished third after beating Gardner 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
“Last year I lost to John Larkin in the first round. It went three sets and probably was one of the best matches I’ve played,” Gardner said. “That match should have come later in the tournament. He and I played some of the best tennis we both could play. We pushed each other to the limit, it was a really tough first-round match.
“It’s one of those I look back on and I’m proud I played so well but disappointed at how close it was. It’s definitely made me more motivated this year.”
Though it could be considered a plus that Gardner doesn’t know much about his opponents, he does have plenty of knowledge about the state meet having qualified in doubles (with senior Ken Duncan) as a freshman and in singles in 2013.
“As a freshman, making it to state was unbelievable,” Gardner said. “I was really excited and it was more of a learning experience, seeing what it was all about and finding my place. Last year, going as a single player, the nerves were still there but I was more comfortable. I knew more about the players down there.
“This year I feel more at home down there. The nerves and excitement are still there but not as strong, I am more used to it. I am definitely ready to play.”
As his high school career winds down, Gardner is looking forward to playing collegiately at Valparaiso University.
“I visited there a month or two ago. I was unsure about it at first but once I got settled in with the team and started talking with them I knew it was the place for me,” he said. “The guys on the team are awesome, they are very accepting. They are all kids from the Midwest and no one is a stranger. It’s like a second family. And the coaching staff is just as good, I absolutely love them.”
Gardner knows he is going to Valparaiso. The unknown is whether or not he goes as a state tournament place-winner.