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By Karen
Pearlman
August 9, 2001
Jennifer "J.J."
Larson doesn't perceive herself as a role model, but those with
physical challenges could learn a lot from the 15-year-old tennis
player from Orchard Park, N.Y.
Larson, who wears a prosthesis from her left elbow down, was at
the U.S. Tennis Association's Girls 16 Super National Championships
at the George E. Barnes Tennis Center in Ocean Beach this week
playing singles and doubles.
After beating Renee Joseph 6-0, 6-3 yesterday morning, Larson was
eliminated in singles competition later by a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Julia
Goyer in the fourth round. Larson still gave it her all in an
evening doubles match before she and partner Nicole Leimbach, the
tournament's No. 1 singles seed, fell 6-4, 6-2 to Tarakaa Bertrand
and Marianne Baker.
It was a setback of sorts for Larson, but not because of any
physical limitations. One of the few competitive players who is
successful with a one-armed backhand, Larson counts on her serve as
a big weapon.
Larson's ball toss, a straight throw from her prosthetic left
hand, assures her consistency as she starts her service motion.
"The real story about J.J. is that there is no story,"
said her father, Larry Larson. "J.J. just goes out there and
plays. I think she's just now realizing she can be an inspiration to
some people. It's never been an issue for her.
"When she was little she had to learn to tie her shoes just
like any kid does. (Her family has) never looked at it like a
handicap. She doesn't."
Larson, who is seeded in the USTA's top 50 in the Girls 16
rankings, was last year's No. 8-ranked player in Girls 14. Last
month, Larson was a singles semifinalist in the Girls 16 at the
Florida Open.
She was born without the bottom portion of her left arm, but that
didn't sway her from taking up tennis along with her sister,
Brintney, 13, when the two were preteens growing up in Orlando, Fla.
Brintney, the No. 3-ranked player in Girls 14, has been with her
mother this week at the USTA Girls 14 Super National Championships
in College Park, Ga.
The Larson family moved to New York when J.J. was 10, but leaving
Florida, a hub of tennis, for Buffalo didn't delay Larson's tennis
odyssey. In fact, it had only just begun.
"Brintney and I weren't that good in tennis when we left
Orlando," Larson said. "We knew the basics, but we weren't
that serious. In Buffalo we met (coach) Tom LaPenna at Village Glen,
a tennis club in Williamsville (N.Y.). He has taught us basically
everything about the game."
Larson, who is home schooled along with Brintney and their
younger brother, Christopher, says she is thinking about a career as
an architect if plans to become a tennis pro don't work out.
"My favorite tennis player right now is Andy Roddick,"
Larson said of the Florida teen-ager. "He's done all the
tournaments I'm doing now. He's worked his way up. He has some
potential, I think."
So, it would seem, does Larson.
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