BOULDER — Ten years from now, Carolyn Warren could be playing for much bigger stakes. For now, she’ll settle for trying to win the No. 1 singles title in the Class 5A state tennis tournament, which begins today.
Smart as a whip and overflowing with leadership qualities, the Fairview High School senior will enroll in Johns Hopkins’ prestigious international relations program this fall. Upon graduation, she could be crisscrossing the globe in any number of specialties from government to business to law.
Who can’t get along with a girl full of such positive energy and more bubbles than Willy Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drink?
“I really try not to get down,” Warren said this week with more inflection than the written word can convey.
Maintaining a positive outlook will be key for Warren as she begins pursuit of a state title at the Gates Tennis Center. Ranked No. 2 in her age bracket for the U.S. Tennis Association’s Intermountain sectional, Warren is one of a handful of girls with a shot at the singles title. Warren believes she is mentally tougher than she was a year ago, when she placed third at No. 1 singles. She lost in the semifinals as a sophomore and placed second at No. 3 singles as a freshman.
Although Warren is impressive on the court, as noted by her 16-1 record this season, she has made an even bigger impact off it.
“If I had to pick a role model for kids, she would be it,” Knights coach Cliff Digby said. “She seems to have it figured out at an early age.”
Warren is the local president of the National Junior Honors Society and gets to “run the meetings and find out all the cool volunteer stuff that everybody is going to do.” She is an International Baccalaureate Diploma candidate and a member of student council. She carries a 4.7 weighted grade-point average.
Her father is an ear, nose and throat doctor and her mother is a pathologist, where performing autopsies is common.
“Sometimes her and my dad bring their work home with them,” Warren said. “It’s like dinner table conversations that you just don’t want to hear. They’re like, ‘Guess what I did today?’ and you’re like, ‘I don’t want to play this game. This game ends badly every time.’ ”
On the court, Warren’s game seldom does. The second the tennis balls start flying, Warren’s energy flows into her game. She grunts with every hit, attacking the ball, court and her opponent like a full-contact chess match, while her eyes practically burn a hole through the ball as it bounces her way.
Digby says Warren doesn’t have one particular speciality on the court but rather boasts a strong overall game. She hits with power, has a quality serve, plays the line extremely well and is tactically astute.
She always has a plan of attack, Digby said. She will need it against a balanced field with a wide-open No. 1 bracket, much like the team race, where Cherry Creek’s run of 11 consecutive state championships will be pushed to the limit by Ponderosa and Chatfield.
Poudre sophomore Natalie Dunn is among the favorites at No. 1 singles, and she defeated Warren early in the season. But the list of contenders is long and includes Caroline Schnell (Cherry Creek), Kelsey Brading (Chatfield), Veronica Wojakowska (Palmer), Ryann Warner (Pine Creek) and defending champion Erin Sanders (Ponderosa).
“I feel like there are five or six of us who are all really close in ability,” Warren said.
Carolyn Warren
Fairview senior, No. 1 singles
On court: 16-1 this season, losing just three games at last week’s regionals. Third at state last season. Team captain past two years.
Off court: President of the National Junior Honors Society, International Baccalaureate Diploma candidate, member of student council and carries a 4.7 GPA. Will attend and play at Johns Hopkins this fall.
