Kara Ikeda felt a slight twinge in her right shoulder in December, but figured it was nothing more than the usual muscle soreness associated with playing competitive tennis.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Now four months later, the irritation has stuck with Ikeda, a Kentlake junior and one of the top-returning tennis players on the South Puget Sound League North Division circuit this spring.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw it coming in December, but thought it was something that would just come and go,\u201d Ikeda lamented.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That something turned out to be a cyst that had developed in Ikeda\u2019s right rotator cuff, an irritation that was not officially diagnosed until right before the season began in March. Shortly after the diagnosis, the Kentlake junior was given a cortisone shot, which initially helped the pain subside.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The cortisone shot, however, wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And, as such, Ikeda has ultimately reinvented her game this spring.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The powerful overhand serve that made her successful on SPSL North courts a season ago is gone. Instead of power, Ikeda relies on finesse.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I go out there, I kind of have a handicap,\u201d said Ikeda, who has relied on smart play and steady doses of Ibuprofen to get by. \u201cInstead of hitting overhand, I have to hit high volleys. It has been really difficult for me because I want to play my hardest, but I have to hold back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Though the injury certainly has had its share of drawbacks, it has forced Ikeda to become a student of the game. On the court, she is constantly looking for a better angle to beat an opponent or a new way to slice the ball down the line. It\u2019s all about strategizing for Ikeda.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the beginning of each set, I strategize against what the player\u2019s weakness is. When I serve, I have to chop the ball and slice it instead of going full power and smashing it,\u201d said Ikeda, who noted that many of her friends have suggested she attempt her game lefthanded. \u201cI also have had to change my grip so my arm isn\u2019t using as much of my shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
First-year Kentlake coach Ken Finley has watched first hand how Ikeda has reinvented herself on the court. A big part of Ikeda\u2019s success thus far is simply her level-headed demeanor on the court, the coach said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t beat herself up over points and tends to let things go,\u201d Finley said. \u201cShe has very nice basic strokes and moves well. (With her injury), there\u2019s not much Kara can do other than put spin on the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Of course, don\u2019t mistake that level-headed demeanor as being too relaxed. The Kentlake junior is plenty competitive, which was evident during a March 31 victory over Kentridge\u2019s Katelyn Overland, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Overland is among the league\u2019s top newcomers this spring.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Yet, as Ikeda\u2019s game has morphed from power to precision, her immediate goal for the season remains the same. She wants to win.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to make it to district because I have not made it the last two years,\u201d she said.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kara Ikeda felt a slight twinge in her right shoulder in December, but figured it was nothing more than the usual muscle soreness associated with playing competitive tennis.<\/p>\n
Now four months later, the irritation has stuck with Ikeda, a Kentlake junior and one of the top-returning tennis players on the South Puget Sound League North Division circuit this spring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":7509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-7508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7508"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7508"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=7508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}