Document text
61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, April 15, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 1, 2005 Susan Knox, Cynthia Norris Medford High School, 1982, South Medford High School, 1992 By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune Nearly a decade stands between sisters Susan Knox and Cynthia Norris. But whatever divides the former Medford residents, whose maiden name is Ross, in age is made up for in proximity. They live just three blocks apart in Menlo Park, Calif. Advertisement "We’re doing the long distance thing," laughs Knox, a mother of four, whose ages are 14, 12, 10 and 9. Knox, a 1982 Medford High grad who swam and played tennis for the Black Tornado, is almost 10 years her sister’s senior. Norris was also a tennis star at South Medford. "When we were younger," says Norris, who has two kids and is on maternity leave from her job at the Web search engine, Google, "our time playing (tennis) overlapped. She was gone in college before I even picked up a racket." Knox finished third at the state tennis tournament during her senior year. Norris one-upped her older sister by winning the state title in her final prep season. Both went on to play collegiately — Knox walked on at Stanford, Norris played three seasons at UC Davis. "I played for three years," says Knox, also an All-American swimmer in high school, of her time with the Cardinal. "It was great. I pretty much got beat up everyday ... the other girls were very good. But in the three years I played there we won two national titles." Knox graduated from Stanford in 1986 and remained in the area. When her second child was 4, she decided to start her own preschool. "There was a huge demand for a good preschool in the area," says Knox, who now owns and operates two schools. "I thought, ‘I could run one of these.’ So that’s what I did." Norris won the Southern Oregon Conference tennis crown all four seasons with South Medford, capped off by her state-title run. "That certainly meant so much to me at the time," she says. "I remember what it felt like and thinking it was such an achievement." In college, Norris was the No. 1 singles player at UC Davis and a co-captain her senior year. She graduated in 1996, married four years later and moved close to her sister 2½ years ago. Knox still plays competitively in a U.S. Tennis Association league. She’s won two tournaments recently, including a victory in the National Hardcourt tournament in December. Norris plans on playing in a league soon, but for now is content with a little down time. "She’s kind of at the point where I was," says Knox, who also took time off when her children were younger. "I think she’ll get out more (and play) pretty soon." Despite all the tennis accomplishments — and living next to each other for the last couple of years — the two have never taken the court together. "We’ll play doubles together one of these days," says Norris, who will soon spread her wings and move a little farther from her sister — one mile away. "We’re very close. Growing up she was like a second mom to me. We became best friends when I was in college, and we’re still very close." Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s