Kirkland's Very Own Tennis Star, Maggy Lehmicke

Name, age: Maggy Lehmicke, 17

School and neighborhood: Maggy attends Chrsyalis School in Woodinville but lives in the East of Market neighborhood in Kirkland.

Accomplishment: Ranked second in Washington state and the Northwest by Babolat Recruiting Lists for the Junior tennis division, she travels the country with her racket playing in tournaments.

Key to awesomeness: While most tennis stars begin training as young as 4, Maggy Lehmicke began relatively late. Always an athlete, she played soccer and softball until 11 when her stepdad introduced her to tennis.

"It just felt more natural to me," says Lehmicke.

But getting to the top of the tennis charts hasn't been easy. Lehmicke trains three to five hours each day, every day of the week. When her peers hit the snooze button for the fourth time, Lehmicke has already been training for a couple of hours at the Morning Academy at Central Park Tennis Club in Bridle Trails with her coaches, Dan Willman and Mike Calkins.

Due to some knee injuries, Lehmicke has backed off weight training, filling a great deal of time with stretching.

Aside from hitting green felt balls with her Wilson K Blade Team racket, Lehmicke studies hard.

"Academics are really important to me," she says, particularly English and writing. She is considering majoring in journalism in college.

And there's no doubt that Lehmicke is going to college. The hard part will be choosing. She's currently interested in Wisconsin, Maryland, Penn Sate, George Washington and Boston University. Being a successful college player is her ultimate tennis goal; she is not planning on going pro someday.

When asked what motivates her on the court, Lehmicke replied, "The thrill of giving it your all; knowing you did your best."

Next week she's off to Mobile, Ala., for another tournament.