STAR student, top tennis player, valedictorian: Meet Clarke Central's Patrick Allen

Clarke Central’s No. 1 singles player Patrick Allen led his team through a remarkable season in which the Gladiators won their region for the first time since 1987. Allen is Clarke Central’s STAR Student, valedictorian and will be attending the University of Georgia in the fall. Allen and his team completed its season last week after reaching the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs. Here, Allen shares about sibling dynamics on the court, his local tennis program, and his next steps regarding college and his tennis career.

(This interview has been edited for clarity.)

Q: You all just became the classic city champions on your senior night. What did it take to have such a successful season?

A: I think we've been working towards it for a long, long time. Personally, me and my brother have been playing with each other for years and years and years and there's a lot of work behind that. Which is what people don't really see. I have to mention Noah Stewart. He's great. He plays doubles. He's been working with us for the past few years. He's another one of those people that really, really wants to win. So, I love to have those people around me that are also really focused on getting to that higher level, especially because, you know, Clarke Central hasn't been good at tennis for like 50 years. So to finally get that back on track, it's really satisfying.

Q: How will you begin to prepare for state playoffs?

A: We've been doing some lessons together. Cormac and Noah and I had a long, long lesson the other day, which was really nice. Just to sort of regain that confidence and get the focus back. It was great to win the region. But you know, we have a goal. We want to go farther this year.

Hopefully we can do our best. I think that we will have a good chance tomorrow. From there, it becomes pretty challenging. Once you start playing those Atlanta schools, they're about as good as it gets. I think even to get into this sweet 16 or something like that would be great. It's a big achievement for a Clarke Central sports team.

Q: ​​With your younger brother, Cormac, also on the team as the No. 2 singles player, what's it like competing alongside him, and how does your sibling dynamic influence your performance and relationship on the court?

A: That's been an interesting one because he is very, very good. But you know, he is younger than me. Sometimes, his emotions get a little bit out of hand. So, I think it's been great for him to be right beside me all the time. We always play our matches right next to each other, which is great. So, it's great to have him there and to be able to encourage him and then also for him to just tell me to lock in if I need to. It's been great to have him like right next to me so he's not thrust into it in the same way that I was.

It's great to be able to go home afterwards and talk to him about what we did well and what we need to do better. It's great for us to sort of build each other up because we're pretty much the same level.

Q: Your involvement in founding a tennis program that supports local food banks demonstrates your commitment to community service. What inspired you to initiate this project, and what impact do you hope it will have on your community?

A: I think one of the things that a lot of people say is that you should have some sort of project in high school, where you're benefiting somebody, but you're also enjoying yourself. So, that was my way of (getting) to play tennis, but also getting to help people out. I really wanted to mesh those things. That was what inspired it to be honest. There's a lot of food insecurity at Clarke Central and so to be able to help that out even a little bit was important.

Q: As the co-founder of your school's Investment Club and a member of various academic organizations, how do you find the balance between your extracurricular pursuits and your commitment to tennis? Do you have any advice on time management?

A: I always just attend the practices after school, which is a pretty scheduled block. And then after that, I pretty much just go straight home and start working on homework or anything like that. As regards to clubs, I try to schedule for morning time, so that I don't have to miss tennis practices. But yeah, I just try to keep a pretty rigid schedule and put things where I can.

I try to stay on top of everything and I try not to procrastinate. If I have work that I can do ahead of time, I definitely try and work ahead so that I've started to do the things that I actually enjoy.

Q: Where does your athletic ability come from?

A: My parents have always encouraged me to play sports. I've been playing tennis since I was pretty little. And I ran a lot as a little kid and that eventually ended up being something cross country related. I've always really enjoyed running and climbing and playing, so I don't know if I could really say it's natural, but it's always been a natural thing for me to exercise.

Q: Was there a specific time or experience in life when you decided to take tennis seriously?

A: It just probably happened over time, to be honest. I guess I started out as all other kids do with tennis. playing at the local park and getting some group lessons and I really enjoyed that. Also, both of my siblings play tennis….When we go to Ireland in the summers I don't really have anybody to play sports with except for my siblings. So we joined a local tennis club there that my grandparents are involved in. Tennis has always been the thing that we can do together and that was what really made me start to enjoy it. In regards to getting serious about it, I guess in high school once I started having that competitive aspect that was when I started thinking I have to start working harder at this.

Q: Being the valedictorian indicates not only academic excellence but also strong leadership qualities. How do you apply your leadership skills both on and off the tennis court?

A: I came from a school before that was really small. I was surrounded by people that were very different from the general dynamic here. So, that was a big adjustment for me. I was kind of thrust into that position with responsibility when I was pretty young. That was tough at first, but I've definitely grown into it.

One of the things that I think is really important as a leader is to interact individually with all of the people on the team and sort of understand what they're good at and how they can be helpful. Everybody needs certain things to be successful. I really enjoy texting people, when we're not having practices or anything like that to make sure they're practicing or make sure that we're doing the right things. Different people require different types of encouragement. So I enjoy that.

Q: You have been accepted to Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Georgia, the University of Virginia, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill….have you decided on one? Why?

A: Luckily I had a lot of different options. At the end of the day, it came down to Georgia and Georgia Tech, because I got full ride scholarships with both of them. That was pretty amazing to have that choice. But it was also a very challenging choice. Both of the programs are so incredible. It kept me up for a lot of nights thinking about it. At the end of the day, I think that I want to focus on my personal development as an undergrad. So, I think that Georgia is a perfect place for that. I'm really excited about that.

Q: Will tennis have any place in your future? And if so where and how?

A: Hoping to play some club tennis, maybe at UGA. I've seen some video footage and seen that they're pretty amazing. I'm hoping to maybe break into that team as a freshman and if I can, I'll play some intramural and work my way up.

Also, with the tennis program, I definitely want to continue to do that. It's definitely going to continue to be a part of my life. Maybe not playing for a college team or something like that, but I still love it. It's definitely gonna hold an important place.

Reilley Moss is a student in the Sports Media Certificate program at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Meet Clarke Central tennis valedictorian Patrick Allen