The Lake County Leader sat down with Kimimi Ashley, the tennis coach at Mission High School in St. Ignatius.

When and how did you start playing tennis?

I started playing tennis when I was 20-years-old. My husband started playing and being in a small town, needed someone to hit with. So, he taught me how to play. We love it and hit together all of the time.

What is your favorite thing about the sport?

Being able to hit with my husband whenever we want. Just grab a couple of rackets/balls and hit the courts. Simple as that and we can do it for the rest of our lives.

How competitive would you say that you are while playing tennis?

I am very competitive. Don’t like losing, but love the challenge of playing better players than myself even if I lose. Tennis is such a mental game after you learn how to do the strokes correctly, it is a challenge to keep yourself fired up and positive when you are pushed. At that point, I love to just have a blast in being able to be out on the courts and hitting the balls while trying to win. Such an endorphin rush.

When coaching tennis, what is the thing you find yourself correcting the most on people?

Being prepared early before the ball even gets to them. It is constantly just making little adjustments when they are learning the sport. As they become a better player, you spend a lot of time reinforcing the good and trying to learn what their “key word” is that will remind them of those adjustments. Then it is just positive repetition and hitting more and more balls.

Do you have a favorite tennis player or somebody that you enjoy watching play tennis?

I enjoy watching Serena Williams on the ladies’ side. I don’t agree with the way that she does things as far as how she treats people, etc. all the time, but when she is playing, I really appreciate that she never seems to give up on herself.

She always has full faith in herself that until the match is over, she still has a chance to win. She isn’t the most in-shape player out there, but because of her tenaciousness she can hang in there and come out with so many wins that have made her famous. On the men’s’ side, I enjoy watching Roger Federer because he is so sound in his techniques. You can watch him and know that you aren’t going to be learning any bad habits in how he does something. He makes everything look so smooth and easy, but as a player, you know it isn’t anywhere close to being that easy.

I appreciate that unlike a lot of other players, he has gotten married and now has twin baby girls and he is still out there playing fantastic. He hasn’t let it side-track him and his wife is always in the stands supporting him.

On the local scene, my favorite tennis players are my high school players. They are the best and so much fun to coach. There are a few that are still hitting during the summer with my husband and myself or hitting on the gym walls and backboards by themselves. I so admire them for that. It takes that extra push from yourself to be out there working on stuff when there isn’t a big crowd cheering you on or support from peers, etc. I am proud of them for that self-determination.

What do you like the most about coaching tennis in the Mission Valley?

The kids are a blast. I also love that you can look up from the courts at any given time and feel so lucky for the scenery around you. So many opposing teams are just in awe of where our local tennis courts are and the scenery that we get to play in. It’s pretty awesome.

Do you have a favorite memory from playing tennis?

I don’t specifically have a “moment memory”, but more of a “feeling” memory. I love the feelings of just pure joy that tennis gives me. Not just from something I’m doing, but from seeing a kid get something for the first time. The first time St. Ignatius brought home a singles tennis champion in Casey Cable and I was coaching with my husband, the second time St. Ignatius brought home a singles tennis champion in Spencer Ahlborn and I was coaching with my daughter. Those moments you are on the court hitting and a point gets so long and fun that you just start giggling while you are hitting. And when the point ends you start laughing because it was so much fun. Those are great memories.

If you were to give someone a reason to start playing tennis, what would it be?

For me, it would be because of how great it makes you feel. The endorphins that you get make you feel so good and then you can go on with the daily things that life gives us. Also, because it is a sport that you can be at varying levels of playing ability and still do it with a family member, friends, etc.