By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Behind every successful tennis player is a caring mother.
That statement, while perhaps not accurate in all circumstances, certainly applies to Arturo Gutierrez of IDEA Frontier.
The standout senior tennis player is competing at the UIL state tournament starting at 8 a.m. today at Texas A&M in College Station.
Gutierrez started playing the sport at age 10, and his biggest supporter for eight years now has been his mother, Olivia Bedolla.
“My mom has always been there for me,” Gutierrez said. “She’s the one who has taken me to tournaments and she’s the one who pushes me every time to practice.”
Gutierrez is advancing to state for the first time and will play in the Class 3A boys singles.
“It feels great to be going to the state tournament after all these years of practicing,” Gutierrez said. “All that practice has paid off. I’m glad I made it my senior year, and now I’m going to try my best and give it my all.”
Gutierrez won two matches to take first place at the recent District 32-3A tournament. He then competed last month at the Region IV-3A tournament at San Marcos, where he won three matches and lost one to finish as a runner-up. The top two finishers in each division at the regional level qualified for state.
“I’m sure the competition will be difficult at state, but I’m not intimidated,” he said. “I have to focus, not be nervous and just understand that I’m there for a reason. If I could do well up there, it would mean a lot to me. It would help my self-esteem and prove to me that I’m not just an ordinary athlete.”
Gutierrez is coached by Jerry De La Garza, who also coaches boys soccer at IDEA Frontier.
“Coaching Arturo these past couple of years has been a pleasure,” De La Garza said. “He is a hard worker who polishes his skills every chance he gets. This (school) year he went to state in cross country, regionals in track and now state for tennis. This is due to the immense dedication he has. He strives to be the best in everything he does. He is an asset to the school and a great example for all of our athletes.”
The Frontier senior said he is grateful for the guidance of his coach.
“He’s helped me get this chance to go to state,” Gutierrez said. “With my coach’s help, hard work has paid off, it really has. I’m thankful to God for this opportunity.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess