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--> --> July 19: Botts aims for No. 3 at Big Al's By Sarah Petersen Ashland Daily Tidings Former Ashland High tennis star and current Louisiana State University standout Tami Botts is back in town to compete in the 26th annual Big Al's Tennis Tournament. This will be Botts' third Big Al's tournament. And if it's anything like her last two, expect the best from Botts. Botts first appearance was in 1998, when as a just-graduated Ashland High senior, she bolted through the bracket en route to the women's Open division championship. In 1999, Botts tried her hand at mixed doubles, teaming with Doug Neuman to take the championship. "It's a local tournament and I like playing in front of the home crowd," Botts said. "I know almost all of the people that will be here and this tournament is so much fun." Botts will be competing this year in the mixed doubles bracket with her coach from the Rogue Valley Swim and Tennis Club, Cary Collins. The pair is seeded No. 2 in the Open division. "I like to try to keep up with the guys and try to return their serves," Botts said. "And their game is just a lot quicker pace." Botts has high goals for the tournament, but also knows what the tournament is really about. "This tournament should be pretty competitive," Botts said. "I hope that we win our division. But the main purpose for doing this tournament is to have fun and winning would just be a bonus." Since Botts' return from LSU she has been playing in the Summer Tennis Circuit which consists of tournaments around the Northwest. So far she has won the Rogue Valley Open, Umpqua Valley Open and the Nike Tennis Championship. Botts also finished second at the Pacific West Championships in Eugene. The Big Al's tournament will be Botts' last competition before she heads back to Baton Rouge on Aug. 25 for her senior year of school and tennis. The 21-year-old is double majoring in political science and criminology and hopes to graduate in the spring of 2002. "College has been a really great experience for me," Botts said. "Seeing a different part of the country and living there for three years has really opened my eyes to so many things. But I am ready to graduate and ready to head back to the West Coast." For the past three years of Botts' tennis career at LSU she has been bouncing between the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds in singles for the Tigers and is seeded third in doubles. She hopes to move up the ladder during her senior year. "I have been working out so hard this summer," Botts said. "I have been playing six days a week for three hours a day and doing a lot of running and conditioning on top of that. Plus, I have been playing in several tournaments that are preparing me for next season." Botts has savored her career at LSU and hopes to build on her success after her senior year is finished. "I hope to enter the pro circuit when I'm through with college," Botts said. "This summer I have really been encouraged by winning so many tournaments and seeing my strength increase. I have also found a new love for tennis one that I have never had before. Plus in the past three weeks I have won $3,000 but could not except any of it because of the NCAA rules." Botts plans to compete in the pro circuit in Southern California or Florida next summer. "Those are the two best places to compete as far as tournaments," Botts said. "But first I have to accumulate points at other tournaments so I can get a good ranking. Next summer I will begin with zero points. Someone like Jennifer Capriati has 900 points and I am a long way from that number." The 1998 graduate of Ashland High owes a lot of her success and competitiveness to her days as a Grizzly, she said. "During my tennis career at AHS my rival was Jessica Arthur from Klamath Union," Botts said. "She pushed me in every match and we were always competing at state against one another. Our coaches were always making such a big deal about us playing one another. I learned so much about competing from my high school days. And now that I have almost completed my college career and have had that experience I feel really good." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing