MUSKEGON TWP. - Reeths-Puffer tennis player Hope Latsch will be graduating soon, but before she wrapped up her varsity career, she set a great example for future Rockets to follow:
She never gave up, even when her goal seemed hopeless - and she refused to listen to the doubters who didn't think she could accomplish it.
Last year, as a junior, Latsch won the No. 2 singles championship at the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament, which is the annual showdown between every high school team in the county.
Going into this year’s tournament, she logically expected to be among the favorites to win the title again.
So Latsch was surprised, and a little offended, when she learned she was seeded fourth in No. 2 singles, which meant the people running the tournament doubted her ability to repeat.
R-P's Hope Latsch
"I was like, are you kidding?” Latsch said about her reaction to the seeding. “I mean, I was not thrilled with that, and I thought it was kind of offensive. Does nobody have faith in me? I'm not a four seed. I was ready to go show the people I'm not a four seed.”
So she went out, proved the skeptics wrong and won another title, using her annoyance as motivation.
There were moments when it looked like she might fall short, but she kept battling until she got it done
Latsch opened the tournament against Western Michigan’s Christian's Sophia Fries. She won the first set 6-4, but lost the second, 5-7, sending the match to a tiebreaker – first player to 10 points, winning by at least two.
Latsch dug deep and won the tiebreaker 10-5, which sent her to the semifinals against Mona Shores’ Kendra Hylland, the No. 1 seed who had beaten her in straight sets earlier in the season.
She started out strong again, winning the first set, 6-2, but again she lost the second set, 5-7.
The low point of her day came at the start of the tiebreaker set, when she lost the first five points and seemed all but defeated.
Even Latsch thought she might be toast, but she kept fighting anyway, and somehow got the job done, rallying to win 10-8.
“I thought it was over,” she said. “I was frustrated and feeling down, but I mean, I wasn't just gonna let go and give it to her, so I kept pushing. I didn't think it was gonna happen, but then I got to like three points, and then five, and I was like ‘Oh, I actually have a shot again! I’m back in it.'”
Latsch admits she was not sure if she could beat Hylland, which made the victory extra sweet.
"I played her once, and she got me by a decent amount, so I really didn't know what would happen,” she said. “That was the most rewarding (win), just because I thought I played my hardest and my emotions were the most heightened there. It was definitely something to accomplish, and it really felt good.
“I play better down and under pressure. My mindset gets more focused when there's more on the line, I'd say.”
After the two grueling matches, Latsch had an easier time in the finals, beating Fruitport’s Emma Fecher – the No. 3 seed - 6-3, 6-1.
Reeths-Puffer head coach Morgan Pfhistner said she was never worried about Latsch losing, even when she was down 0-5 against Hylland in the tiebreaker.
“In tennis, once you get discouraged and get down on yourself, it’s hard, but she just has this way about her,” the coach said. “You can tell when she gets discouraged, but she never gives up. With her, it’s really not over until it’s over.
"You can tell she really loves the sport. She just gets in a zone, and from there she’s awesome.”
Latsch had a lot of incentive to keep fighting and win another title, beyond the snub she received from the seeding committee.
For one thing, tournament day was also her 18th birthday, and she wanted something extra to celebrate when she got home to a party with family and friends.
Latsch with her final GMAA medal.
The other big incentive was the calendar. The tennis season is just about over, and graduation is just around the corner.
She discovered tennis by accident in middle school, and has loved playing four years of varsity for the Rockets.
“I joined in seventh grade, because my friend asked me to,” Latsch said. “I just followed her to practice. She was the one who was more into it. I didn't even have a racket or shoes for it. I just showed up, the coach gave me a racket that day, and I just played.
“I didn't really know how, but I ended up getting the hang of it really quick. We played a tournament at Whitehall, I won that, and I really liked playing and winning and didn’t want to stop.”
The winning hasn’t been the best part for Latsch, however.
“I'm definitely gonna miss having the team and the community,” she said. “That's why I play sports. I'd say I appreciate the aspect of having teammates and the huddles and the team dinners and laughing at practice, even more than the actual competition, honestly.”