GARRETT FLYING HIGH INTO SENIOR YEAR

For some students, senior year is a time to cruise, be that literally or metaphorically. Linley Garrett is not most people. If anything she is aiming to fly higher.

Garrett has gotten her senior year off to a dominating start on the tennis court. Paired with cousin Lexi Franklin, the doubles team has not only won their three matches thus far, but have done so with dropping a single game.

That is not exactly new. The duo are the defending district doubles champions and also reached the state tournament in doubles as sophomores as well.

That is despite not having a lot of preparation work before the season opened last week.

“Not really. We started at the end of summer because it’s been so hot outside we weren’t really able to get outside,” said Garrett.

The season was slated to open a week earlier than it actually did, but those matches were pushed into September due to the heat.

The hot start, pun intended, is also despite Garrett not even playing tennis competitively until it became a high school sport option.

“Freshman year,” she said of getting started in the game. “I may have played once or twice when I was younger but it wasn’t anything serious. I was very bad.”

Given they are related, pairing Garrett with Franklin made perfect sense and has, obviously, paid off for tennis coach Katelyn Holub.

“Me and Lexi have been best friends since we were babies, as long as I can remember,” said Garrett. “I feel like in a way we kind of read other’s minds. When we’re playing tennis together we really don’t have to call it, because we know.

“Sometimes we do but we just play really well together.”

Garrett and Franklin are now also exclusively doubles players.

“We played singles as ninth graders because we already had two doubles teams and they were older than us,” said Garrett

Although she finished third in the district tournament in singles that year she “definitely” prefers doubles.

While a lot of seniors also work, Garrett found a way to do so in sports by manning the counter at the Cherokee Creek Country Club though she says she is not taking up golf.

However, already a standout tennis player as well as an expected starter in basketball, Garrett will add softball to her resume this year.

“I played softball when I was younger,” said Garrett. “Up until ninth grade. I played travel ball and I quit a couple years. Softball is not my favorite so in ninth grade it was more like travel ball again and I didn’t enjoy it.

“I didn’t have anything against the coaches or anything but this year I wanted to be able to play with Lexi because, obviously she’s awesome at softball, and it’s my last year.”

Garrett averaged 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds as, generally, a sixth player for the Lady Bearcats and Tim Goers last year, who are now under the direction of Holub.

With Garrett in a softball uniform track coach Darby Ulmer's track and field squad may miss a few points at meets as Garrett has been a state qualifying regular in sprint relays as well.

Garrett is also not cruising in the classroom as a senior. She is taking three advanced placement (AP) courses as well as two college level classes before her graduation walk in May. The AP courses are in English, Calculus, and Chemistry.

That schedule forces Garrett to arrive on campus before the first bell, though many of her classmates have crafted schedules to allow them to start with the second hour of the day.

College plans are not set in stone but a career as a nurse is being strongly considered by starting college at UAFS or Arkansas Tech.

Garrett says a little of that come from being subjected to some of the worst pain a youngster could have in the loss of her mother two years ago.

“I’ve had a lot of people helping me. My family has been there for me and had really big things that are helping,” said Garrett. “God has given me strength that I didn’t even think was possible.”

Consequently she wants to return the favor.

“I just love helping people. I want to be like a labor and delivery nurse. That would be so fun and very rewarding,” Garrett said.

Garrett did not even cruise the summer prior to her senior year. She flew. With her father, Dustin. To Paris. The one in France.

“We wanted to go somewhere new,” Garrett said of the pre-senior year trip. “My dad thought that would be awesome.”

“There were awesome sights there. Everybody always sees the Eifel Tower, and it was crazy. It was way bigger than expected. The food was different. It was good.”

Paris is also noted for its bridges and they were highlights on the sightseeing tour.

“We went to the lock (of love) bridge and apparently they had taken them down because it was weighing down the bridge,” said Garrett.

She did not bring the fashion back.

“It was a little different. They are definitely not boring. It was crazy too because we don’t dress like that over here,” said Garrett.

Garrett and Franklin will next don their tennis fashion on Thursday when they host Dardanelle, who was originally scheduled to be the season opener on August 21.