Aubrey Smith’s tennis career has come full circle.
The former Columbus North standout learned the game through tennis clinics at Tipton Lakes Athletic Club, and is now in her former instructors’ shoes. Smith, who now plays for Bellarmine University, is assisting with those same clinics that grew her love for the game this summer.
“I’ve always been in the clinics here. Sometimes I would go to Center Grove or Indy, but I grew up doing them here,” Smith said. “It’s cool because the coaches that coached me are still here, and now I get to work them, so it’s kind of fun.”
In her third summer teaching there, the 2017 North graduate said that most of the kids in the clinic are from Columbus, and that she’s currently assisting with teaching elementary- and middle school-aged children.
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Smith brings valuable collegiate experience to her students. She had a solid year going for the Knights, who were unbeaten at 9-0 before the spring season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, Smith, a junior, compiled 18 wins playing both singles and doubles.
While she has been granted an extra year of eligibility, Smith is unsure if she will use it after her senior season in 2021. Smith, an Academic All-Great Lake Valley Conference honoree this spring, says it will depend how and where her academic studies take her. She’s majoring in exercise science and pass a Graduate Record Exam (GRE) before she can apply to graduate schools in hopes to pursue a career in physical therapy.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, Smith has self-trained through workout videos on YouTube, running, and weight training with kettlebells and dumbbells.
Smith said that she helped low-level high school students the first couple weeks until she had to change her schedule around due to a chemistry class she has taken this month. She plans to split her time between helping with clinics on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while taking her chemistry classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Smith isn’t the only member of her family involved in the sport this summer, as her older sister, Allie, teaches at Harrison Lake with an adult tennis clinic.
Aubrey said she often goes to Harrison Lake to get additional hitting in.
“They’re really good over there, and it’s good practice,” Aubrey said. “It’s fun because it’s just a bunch of adults and we’ll switch around partners and play a couple sets, so I’ve been doing that.”
Growing up, Aubrey would watch Allie, and her older brother, Austin, play in tournaments. Her mother, Terralin, is a former college tennis player, and Allie and Austin both played tennis in college. The youngest Smith, who started playing at 5-years-old, followed in their footsteps.
Bellarmine will move up from NCAA Division II to Division I this school year, and will join the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). Smith will also have a new coach in Will Davis, who also coaches the men’s team, heading into this year after the departure of John Mican.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Smith File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Aubrey Smith
High school: Columbus North
College: Bellarmine
Year: Will be a senior
Height: 5-foot-3
Major: Exercise Science
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