MUSKEGON TWP. - Reeths-Puffer senior Adam Miller never allowed failure to have the final say, and he’s definitely had his share of it.
He just kept pushing to get better - through some pretty tough seasons - until he got the championship result he was looking for.
Miller is a four-year varsity tennis player who always did fine teaming up with a partner in doubles competition, but he very much preferred to play singles.
Yet he struggled when he got the chance to play singles.
As a freshman Miller started out 0-4 as the Rockets’ No. 4 singles player and was quickly transferred to the doubles lineup.
A sunburned Adam Miller with his GMAA championship medal.
In his sophomore year the Rockets had plenty of good singles players, so he spent most of the season playing doubles.
As a junior he moved all the way up to No. 2 singles, played a lot of really good opponents and finished with a not-so-great 6-16 record.
Instead of letting all the losing get in his head, Miller responded by staying late after a lot of practices to work on his game with R-P assistant coach Kevin Marshall.
Eventually all the extra work paid off.
This year Miller has posted a very nice 15-7 record and has been at his best in tournament play, taking first place at the Grand Haven Invitational and second place at the Grand Rapids Northview Invitational and the Traverse City Central Invitational.
His crowning moment came last weekend at the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association City Tournament, which is kind of like the local Wimbledon for Muskegon area high school tennis.
Miller posted a perfect 3-0 record and won the No. 4 singles championship.
He was dominant all day, beating Whitehall’s Ryne Nicholas 6-2, 6-2, Western Michigan Christian’s Reid Staal 6-1, 6-0, and finally Mona Shores’ Castor Dempsey in the finals, 6-2, 6-3.
He not only earned himself a championship medal, but helped the Rockets win the GMAA team title for the first time in program history.
Miller is always calm and collected on the court, but tends to release his pent-up enthusiasm when he wins a big match.
He was pretty loud when he clinched his city championship.
“It was just a big old yell,” Miller said with a smile. “I think I just said, ‘Come on, let’s go!’ or something like that.”
Victory shouts are probably not appreciated by the guy who lost the match, as R-P head coach Ryan Hankinson noted.
“I’m glad he never got smacked with a racket for it!” Hankinson quipped.
‘I always love a challenge’
Miller has had lots of opportunities to surrender to frustration.
Losing 16 of 26 matches at a junior would have been enough to make a lot of players pack it in, but Miller took it in stride.
“It was tough, but I played a lot of good people and I learned a lot about what strategies work and what strategies don’t,” he said.
He also had to overcome a very tough start this season.
He opened the year as the Rockets’ No. 3 singles player and lost his first four matches.
Then he had to play a challenge match for his lineup spot against teammate Cory Judd, who beat him in two very long, extremely close sets.
That dropped him back down to No. 4 singles, but instead of pouting, Miller kept pushing, because that’s what he does.
Suddenly the victories started coming in bunches, culminating with his big moment at the city tournament.
“I always love a challenge, and I love the satisfaction of getting better,” Miller said. “It’s a process. I know some days are going to be good and some not so good, but I try to take the bad days and learn from them.”
Miller said the after-practice workouts with Coach Marshall really paid off in the long run.
“Kevin was my coach in middle school and he followed me up to high school,” he said. “He has always supported me and has always been willing to help me. He’s just helped me get the fundamentals right and feel more confident in my game.
“It helps a lot to have someone there who is so focused on your success.”
Marshall admits there was a time, way back, when he wondered if Miller would ever be a successful player.
“When he was younger I wasn’t sure, and I told him that, too,” Marshall said with a chuckle. “It’s just been a matter of hard work for him. He’s not the most gifted athlete, but he’s always made the best of what he’s had.
“He’s really amazed me. I never thought he would do as well as he has. He deserves everything he’s got.”
Coach Hankinson said Miller has left a definite mark on the R-P tennis program.
“We have never had anybody work harder to develop himself and perfect his craft than Adam,” he said. “That’s the thing I will remember about him forever, and I will use it as an inspiration for others.”