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by Natalie Gibson

Riele Holbrook

Riele Holbrook

Riele Holbrook, daughter of Mark and Debbie (Slone) Holbrook, has been furthering her love of tennis over the summer months. Riele recently competed in the Bluegrass State Games where she earned second place for her division. She faced girls from around the state during this 12 and under singles tournament, losing in a very close battle during the championship match. After winning one set and losing one, Riele battled hard in the tiebreaker set.  She lost by the slim margin of 11-13.

The Bluegrass State Games were created in 1985 by Governor Martha Layne Collins, and boasts the largest participation of any amateur sporting event in the state. Over 30 different sporting events are offered in six different counties with an average of 16,000 participants each year.

In addition to competing in this tournament, Riele had the opportunity to attend tennis camp at the University of Kentucky during the month of June. At the camp, she was able to get five hours of instruction each day with UK’s world-class coaching staff. Students from across the state attended this camp to work on all aspects of their tennis game. It was truly an experience that Riele will never forget!

Even though she is only 11 years old, Riele is quite an ambitious young lady, both athletically and academically. During her years at The June Buchanan School, where she is currently a 6th grader, she has been a member of the Tennis Team and Cross Country Team, in addition to being a member of the Elementary Academic Team and captain of the Future Problem Solving Team. Riele plans to compete in several other tennis tournaments this summer and fall, including the Kenny Huffman Tennis Classic in Pikeville on August 2nd-4th.