Braden Myrick ‘17 Recruiting Profile

Personal Statement

**Please note that I was a full-time boarding student on scholarship at the Rick Macci Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, FL through Oct. 2016, and am a member of the Wilson Junior Select Team.  I started January 12th 2016 and worked one on one with Coach Macci, as well as, his amazing staff of Pro's and have jumped my ranking 1500 spots since working with RMTA.  I am now home on Kauai and will be attending four ITF's in March and April (Jr and Men's).  I do not believe that "ranking systems " define a quality/dedicated tennis player.  There are a lot of normal kids like me that live tennis, but do not have access to tournament play (there are none on my home island) and therefore are often looked over, especially in Hawaii.  ****

First and foremost, I AM COACHABLE!  From the moment I was old enough to realize that Tennis was my passion, I knew that the odds were stacked against me.  I knew this because I come from a very normal and modest family (that I wouldn't trade for the world), where it seemed that the world of tennis was out of the ordinary.  I also live in a place where tennis isn't the big sport that baseball and football seem to be.  The best part about knowing the odds were stacked against me is that it meant I've worked hard every single day to overcome those odds.  I've worked hard so that when my time comes to show what I'm made of, I'll be ready.  My ultimate goal is to play in college (small or large) and continue on to play on the ATP.  As far as USTA ranking is concerned, it is very difficult to get ranked living on an outer island in Hawaii, particularly for the island I live on, Kauai. There is not one single USTA tournament here, meaning that my family has to travel via plane to every tournament (which also means a rental car, hotel, food, etc).  My parents work very hard to be able to take me to as many tournaments as possible, but I know in my heart of hearts that my ranking would be much higher if I had more availability to USTA tournaments.  I also know that I am basically starting at the bottom of the barrel as far as the USTA is concerned, since I haven't had much availability from 12-16.   This is something that we are working on as a family, and I hope to be able to attend more USTA tournaments, as well as, I will begin playing ITF events.  I am often told I am a "diamond in the rough" living on Kauai for tennis. I am very dedicated to tennis and have the realistic standpoint of I appear to be a small fish in a very big pond, and by my stats- according to the USTA world of tennis, I guess I am, but I know that I'm more than what those "stats" make me out to be on paper.  I am dedicated to this sport 100%..  

To dedicate more of myself to tennis I started homeschooling four years ago to allow for a more open training schedule and flexibility to travel to tournaments (when available).  I am an excellent student and I currently have a 4.00 GPA (4.26 weighted).  My academics are extremely important to me.  My school level is actually very interesting.  I started school when I was four, so by age I should technically be a junior.  Even as a junior, my credits equaled that of a senior because I was able to get several high school classes out of the way in eighth grade.  I could have graduated from high school as a junior (2016), but I decided to stick with graduating in 2017 to allow myself more time to mature mentally and physically.

I have been playing tennis since I was seven years old and I fell in love with the sport almost immediately.  My parents were both very athletic (college sports) and my two older siblings also had college scholarships for softball and baseball.  My parents weren't very well versed in "tennis" when I first started, because to them it was more of an elitist sport growing up.  I went straight to club tennis after attending only two parks & rec. summer lessons (before I lived on Kauai) where I quickly became ranked number one for several years (when I was 10-12), but I had an injury (broken ankle at the state tournament), which took me out for a year.  I have worked very hard physically and mentally to get back to 100%, which I have done.  I recently aged up to the 18's divisions as I just turned 17 years old.  I eat, sleep, and live tennis 24/7, and I realize a lot of players say that, but I truly do it.  I train daily with private coaches and I workout with a personal trainer (and on my own) at least six days a week.  I recently started working with a sports psychologist from Stanford to help keep my mental game positive and focused.  I am determined to not only play college tennis, but as I mentioned before, I also want to play on the professional circuit. I know that's not the "traditional" route that most players take, but I WANT to be that kid that makes it against the odds.  I am an underdog, I know that I am, but it makes me want it that much more and work that much harder.  I love living in "paradise" where the beautiful weather allows me to play tennis every single day, but my personal "paradise" would be living where I could play USTA every single weekend and train with professional coaches.

On a personal level, I am a Christian and very dedicated to to being a positive and Godly influence to everyone I know or meet.  I really pride myself on being humble and thankful for every opportunity I am given.  I would love the chance to prove myself to the college tennis world, which is one step closer to my goal of being a pro tennis player.  Aside from tennis, I am very involved in my church high school group.  I also volunteer for a local non-profit that serves patients with HIV/AIDS.  I am also "on-call" for tennis at our local Grand Hyatt to play with highly experienced (and sometimes pro's!) players when they visit Kauai.  I work hard and follow through on everything I do.

I want to find a team that represents integrity and hard work.  I want coaches that believe in me and encourage me, but will also give me a good scolding when I need to reboot and refocus.  I am coachable, which is why I believe I would be an asset to any team.  I bring an excellent work ethic, excellent grades and study habits, respect for coaches, fellow players, and respect for the game.