One of Lampasas High School’s graduates and former Badger athlete has achieved something pretty significant in the tennis world.
Tennis coach Eric White won nationals in the 5.0 division in the annual tournament held in Orlando, Florida last month.
White had competed previously in this tournament and finished fourth, but this year he came away as the national champion.
White said there were two groups in the 5.0 division, and the top two finishers in each advanced to the gold medal bracket.
In his first match in the bracket, he beat the first-place finisher from the other group and then had a shot at redemption against the player who beat him in group play. White was able to emerge with a three-set win to take first place.
“It’s pretty cool,” he said of the experience. “I still think back every now and then during the day or randomly, and kind of laugh because you always want things like this to happen and want to win but for it to actually happen, I’m just surprised.
“The guy I played in the finals was 21, so I’m twice his age,” White said. “So it’s kind of cool.”
According to head tennis coach Kenneth Peiser, the 5.0 division is just below the highlevel Division I college players at 6.0, and then 7.0 is the classification for professional players. White is competing at a level just below those guys, Peiser said, and has now won a tournament to say he is the best in the nation in that division.
White said he screamed out loud as the final point was scored and he realized he had won.
Maybe one of the best parts of the victory, however, was to know that so many of his students and tennis players here in Lampasas were able to watch him.
“Peiser sent the link out to the kids, so a lot of the kids were watching,” White said. “That felt cool to be able to be that far away and the kids being able to watch. They see us play, but they don’t ever see us full blown, all out. So that was neat, and then a lot of the kids were sending texts and stuff.”
As a teacher and coach, White said he tries to set an example for the students. This tournament provided a unique opportunity for him to do that by showing what it takes to win at a high level and how he responded to adversity when it came.
“I hope they realize that all the work that they probably get mad at us pushing them and pushing them, but eventually it will pay off the longer you play,” White said. “And tennis is thankfully a lifelong sport. We’re still playing at our age.
“I think they’ve never really seen me play like that before, so they could see the emotion, and hopefully now when I go out and talk to them on the court when I’m emotional with them on the court, they’ve seen that’s how I play,” he added. “It’s genuine, and hopefully they can see that.”
White gave credit to both Peiser and Derek Valiquette – who was a senior at LHS when White was a freshman. He said he regularly plays with those two, and they helped him get ready for the big tournament.
“When most people find out where I’m from and the lack of tennis players … for the three of us to play at that level and not be in a big town like Austin where they’ve got hundreds of options it’s just the three of us, I like that aspect of it,” White said.
In a very unique way, Lampasas High School has had a flourishing tennis program under Peiser. The same is true of the high school golf program under coach Justin Schulze. Those sports have seen success that often comes only in big cities because of the sheer amount of opportunities available. Coaches Peiser and Schulze have found a way to create continued success right here in Lampasas, and White is a product of that.
“There’s not enough time in the day to go over how much Peiser has meant to this program,” White said. “… for him to have this run of success for this many years in a row is pretty incredible. It just kind of shows the kind of person he is on and off the court, because you can’t go around town anywhere and not run into someone that doesn't know coach Peiser.”
White hopes to keep playing and get another shot at the national tournament next year, which will be held in Arizona. That would be a new place for him to play.
“If I can keep qualifying each year, I’m going to go in and try to do my best,” the coach said. “My three girls play and my wife plays, so it’s kind of just a big family ordeal. And hopefully we can all just keep playing together and keep getting better.”
