Maple Grove’s Fletcher, in back, and Trey DeMink practice at the Lakewood YMCA earlier this week. The pair will play in the NYSPHSAA championships this weekend at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing.
OBSERVER Photo by Scott Kindberg
The text message arrived from Fletcher DeMink just hours after an in-person interview I had with him at the Lakewood YMCA earlier this week.
He had some comments he wanted to add, and the following was part of it:
“My parents (Phin and Sara) have pushed me from a young age to excel in everything that I enjoy,” Fletcher wrote. “I have always had a mindset to be the best that I could be, and it’s amazing to see everything come together my senior year.”
Fletcher could have also been texting on behalf of his brother, Trey, because the twins from Maple Grove Junior-Senior High School are certainly ending their careers on the Dutch Hollow Road campus with a bang.
For not only will they deliver the valedictory (Trey) and salutatory (Fletcher) addresses at graduation next month, but they will also get to experience what anyone who has ever picked up a tennis racquet wishes they could do — play at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, the site of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Tennis Championships this weekend.
That’s what happens after you claim the Section VI doubles title, which is believed to be the first time a boys team from Chautauqua County has ever done it.
So around 10:45 a.m. Friday, Trey and Fletcher will check in at the National Tennis Center. At 11 a.m., first-round matches will begin.
“I almost think (playing at the famous venue) will help us focus and lock in a little more,” Fletcher said. “It kind of lets you know that you deserve to be here, that you’re good enough to be here, and I feel that it will give us a good push to get started.”
Trey said the likelihood of a good seed will help, too.
“It’s really hard coming out of Section VI to get a good seed,” he admitted, “but since we won sectionals we’ll most likely have one of the higher-up seeds, so I think it’s very possible to win the first round and the second round.
“Our goal is just to get as far as we can. The quarterfinals would be a great spot to end up in.”
But these 18-year-olds have more on their resumes than strong net play (Trey) and tough-to-handle serves (Fletcher).
“They obviously care a huge amount about tennis, but that seems to be the mentality of wanting to do really well … in everything they look at,” said Maple Grove coach Connor Barnes. “They’re special kids. They definitely stand out.”
Both Trey and Fletcher will head to Penn State University in the fall. Trey will major in business management, while Fletcher will major in finance. Three months before the move to Happy Valley, however, the brothers were scheduled to leave today for the Big Apple, one week after their historic performance at the sectional championships.
“We kind of took two days to just kind of celebrate,” Trey said. “Now we’re just fully focused on states. We want to put that behind us, because we feel we can accomplish so much more than that. That’s what our plans are and what we hope to do.”
Noted Fletcher in that text that opened this column: “When I stop to appreciate all that I’ve accomplished, it just makes me smile and I honestly couldn’t be happier or more grateful for these moments.”