Layla Gravelle '21 Recruiting Profile

Hi, my name is Layla! As of right now, I just finished my freshman year of high school, I am 15 years old and I live in Orange County, California.  I am a competitive tennis player and my ultimate dream goal is to play college tennis at a UC. I am a hard worker and I have drive and passion for tennis. I do everything during practice with all of my efforts because I am always looking for ways to improve. I love playing tennis because I am extremely competitive and I love the challenge of the game. I am a multi-sport athlete and use it to my advantage with tennis by incorporating skills from other sports, whether it be mentally or physically into my game. I think that my easy going personality and determination to be my very best will make me a great asset to any team. In academics, I am a straight-A student with usually a 4.0 GPA or above. I work just as hard on my schoolwork and grades as I do with my tennis game. If I do not understand a concept I am not afraid to ask questions and do more research on the subject. Although I have never taken the SAT or ACT because I am too young, I did a practice one this year at school and got in the 87th percentile. When on the court, as competitive I am, I believe that good sportsmanship and character is one of the most important things one could have. I will never ever cheat a person I am playing because it is not moral and I have no satisfaction in lying, the points I win should be earned... not cheated. Also, I treat everybody I play the way that I would want to be treated, with kindness and respect, even those who seem to greatly lack it. Character on the tennis court can be an advantage to any player and it especially is to me. Not only do I play tennis, but I also play piano, ukelele, draw, collage, and create and edit videos, pictures, and music on my laptop. I think that having other passions is really important, not just your sport and school. My other passions also teach me about myself and important life lessons for everything. I love playing the piano; I have played for over six years and I recently began teaching myself ukelele. After a tough or frustrating match, I will go home and play an instrument to help me clear my head or just express my feelings. For me, this is how I am able to channel my frustration for anything, and it really helps me when I am stressed about something, whether it be school or tennis. As I continue working throughout the next three years, I have a series of goals I have set that I intend to achieve and hopefully once I do that, I will be able to play college tennis at a D1 UC!!<3