South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Experiencing failure at an early age can be a powerful motivating force later in life. At least that’s how it worked for Colquitt High’s Constance Terrell. The honor graduate and No. 1 singles player on the Packers’ tennis team saw her tennis career get off to a rather inauspicious start. She began playing tennis when she was around eight years old. Constance took lessons and worked on the fundamentals of the game. She progressed well through her elementary school years and had high hopes when she entered middle school. However, Constance didn’t make the team as a seventh-grader. She played matches but they didn’t count for her team’s overall score. “That really bothered me; I didn’t want to play matches that didn’t count. I was determined to make the team as an eighth-grader,” she recalls.

That experience proved to be a turning point in Constance’s career. She realized what it was going to take to get her game to the next level. At the time, Constance was also playing softball. She enjoyed the sport but knew that in order to achieve her tennis goals, she would have to devote 100 percent of her time and energy to tennis. So she dropped softball, focused exclusively on tennis and went to work. Constance took private lessons from Mike Jenkins, attended summer tennis camps and started playing United States Tennis Association (USTA) events. When her eighth grade tennis season rolled around, she earned the No. 1 singles spot. “We had a new coach that year. Our old coach visited practice and was amazed at the progress I had made,” she says.

At that point, Constance learned the value of hard work and the sense of satisfaction that comes with setting a goal then seeing that goal through. It was a valuable lesson, one she would draw upon just one year later. When Constance entered high school she went out for the tennis team again. She had a little more luck than she did as a seventh-grader, but not much. Constance played five varsity matches her freshman year — enough to earn a letter but not enough to be considered a starter. “I didn’t like that, either. I still didn’t like playing matches that didn’t count,” she says. Once again, she went to work. Her father put her on a workout program that included speed work, weightlifting and lots of hitting. “I hit with the boys. I wanted to play people who would beat me so I would improve,” she says. Constance spent time at another summer tennis camp, this one at Florida State University. Though she was out of school, she didn’t have much of a break; her whole summer was devoted to improving her game. “High school was different than middle school. You really have to step up your game to compete,” states Constance.

Constance wanted a varsity spot her sophomore year. She had put in the hours and dedicated herself to the task. She challenged a junior for the No. 3 singles spot and won. She posted a 15-3 record that year in a key position in the ladder. Because she played the third singles spot, many matches came down to her contest. If she won, the team won as well. If she lost, the team did the same. “I loved that feeling,” she says. The entire Packers team experienced success that year, advancing to the Elite Eight in the state playoffs.

The following season, Constance had a choice to make — stay at No. 3 or challenge up for No. 2. “I could have won more if I stayed at No. 3, but I wanted to get better,” she says. Constance challenged and won. She spent the season at No. 2 singles and finished with a 9-9 record. Colquitt County had a good run through the playoffs that year and made it all the way to the Final Four before losing to eventual state champion Walton.

For 2010, the Packers weren’t projected to do much. They only brought back two seniors, of which Constance was one (the other senior played doubles). With such a young team, Constance knew she would have to step up and be a leader for her teammates. In keeping with a theme that had been a hallmark of her tennis career, Constance made one more jump in the ladder, this time to No. 1 singles. She went 15-9 on a Colquitt team that finished third in the region and made the playoffs. This time, the squad of mostly underclassmen advanced to the Sweet 16. “I thought we did well this year considering not much was expected of us,” she says.

Her career has been filled with big moments. However, the most memorable match during her four years with the Packers came when she was in the tenth grade. Colquitt was in a three-way tie with Tift and Valdosta atop the region standings. Near the end of the season, Valdosta made the trip down to Moultrie to face the Packers in a match with important region implications. Constance and her opponent, Shelby Sharpe, were the last two players on the court. Colquitt’s No. 1 and 2 singles had lost while both doubles teams had won. That meant that the match, and quite possibly the region title, came down to the contest between Shelby and Constance. In their first meeting, Constance had won. This time, Shelby wanted to avenge the loss. And she had the perfect stage in which to do so.

Both teams crowded the fence as the two players battled. Shelby won the first set. It was do-or-die for Constance in the second. “I gave that second set everything I had,” she remembers. There were no easy points; each rally was long and both teams tried to out-yell each other on their respective sides of the fence. It was a very intense match, especially for two No. 3 players. Constance righted the ship in the second set and escaped with a 6-4 win. That set up the third and decisive set. “I was exhausted for that third set. I had to dig deep to finish,” she says. Both players understood what was at stake and played with a great sense of urgency. “I played my heart out,” recalls Constance. In the end, she prevailed and Colquitt went on to win the region championship. “Our team went crazy. It was a great feeling.”

That Constance experienced such individual success this season is remarkable considering how devoted to her academics she has been as a senior. Constance has some lofty goals for her post-high school career, the kind of goals that require impeccable grades. Early on, her parents saw that she was a gifted student who could maintain an A average. As such, Constance grew up in a home that didn’t allow B’s. “My parents knew I could make all A’s, so they wouldn’t accept B’s,” she says. Constance has always wanted a career in medicine, and her father told her that nobody wanted to go to a doctor who was a C student. “They always held me to a higher standard,” comments Constance.

When she began her freshman year, she began holding herself to a higher standard as well, one that was higher than what her parents expected. She knew her future depended on education, not athletics. Balancing her extracurricular activities and her studies wasn’t difficult. “My parents didn’t have to push. Now, all that work has paid off – I know what my parents were talking about all these years,” she says. Constance, who will have graduated by the time this issue hits the streets, finished fourth in her class with a 100.9695 average. She has received a Foundation scholarship from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, where she will attend as a pre-med major. “I want to stay closer to home and get used to college life and living on my own. I also want to keep my grades up. I can do that at a smaller school,” she says. Her plans include transferring to the University of Georgia once she finishes at ABAC. From there, she will attend the Medical College of Georgia in hopes of becoming a surgeon. “I have a passion to help people. I’ll do anything to get in medical school. I feel like I have a calling for surgery,” she says.

Constance has also been active in Colquitt’s Key Club, FFA (where she publishes the club newsletter), Pressure Proof Pack and the Colquitt County Youth Leadership Program. Constance is a member of Trinity Baptist Church, where she is an active member of the youth group. •

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