TOURNAMENTS
ATTENTION COLLEGE COACH: Casey Johnson contact info:
tel: 214-215-0888; 972-964-8114
email:
[email protected] November 13, 2009 Casey is still uncommitted. She is one of the higher ranked Americans currently uncommitted.
If you have not seen Casey play and would like a small video clip of her, please contact us and we will send one to you.
[email protected] August 2009 Trivia - of the roughly 90 or so seniors at Berkley, Casey is ranked above 33 of them (as of August 8, 2009).
May 2009 - Casey has had a setback in her wrist injury and will not be playing again until June Texas Sectionals (original thought was May). The doctor has decided she needs about 2-3 more weeks before she hits the courts.
2-8-09 Casey broke her wrist at the Corpus Christi major zone. She was up 6-3 against Elizabeth Begley (#23) and then broke it on the 2nd point of the 2nd set. She tried to go for 3 games and couldn't. She should be back playing approximately May of 09.
Casey will be playing in the National Open G 18 tournament in May in El Paso, additionally will play the Clay Courts in Memphis and/or the hard courts in Berkley.
A little known fact about Casey - she is exceptional in playing in bad weather conditions. Due to her variety of shots and skills, she is very good at playing in high winds and/or cold weather...she understands that not all days emulate an indoor match and she thrives on bad weather. If your school experiences high wind, cold, and weather extremes, Casey will be great for you! Unlike other players, she is excited when the playing conditions are less than ideal!
CASEY WILL BE PLAYING in GIRLS 16 S at Winter NATIONALS (Dec. 2008)!!!!!
Update Fall 2008
Casey recently played in several team events as she seems to thrive in the team format. She helped lead T Bar M Academy to the PPI US Championship and a trip to Rome. In their quest, she lead the team in the G 16 division and won every match with the exception of one doubles match (her partner was injured).
At Zonals, Casey played the #1 position and won every singles match along with all but one doubles match. With her play, she was able to help her team finish #2 in the team event.
Casey's entire career, she seems to thrive in the team tennis atmosphere and raise her level of play in these types of events. She did the same the prior year in the team events. She had the best record of all of the players on the T Bar M Academy PPI team.
Individually, Casey will play most of the regular Texas super champ tournaments in singles and doubles. She will attend 2-3 of the 4 national opens and some Level 3 events. Additionally, she typically goes to the Easter Bowl, Summer Hardcourts, and Winter Nationals; she plays in the Texas Open, Zonals, as well as, some charity events.
This past year, she is skipped the Easter Bowl as it conflicted with her being able to play for her school (that seems to have affected her ranking although she would always play for her school over herself). She really enjoys playing for her school so she elected to skip the Easter Bowl, even though it is one of her favorite events.
HIGH SCHOOL
Information below is entered in small capsules in time. Each paragraph represents new information for the period in time listed.
April 2009 - Casey will be defending her 2 time state championship (singles) in Waco, TX April 24, 25. She won her district tournament with her left wrist still partially "not well" from the break in February.
May 2008 - Casey was named the Dallas Morning News High School Girls Player of the year. This was a very prestigious honor. Casey loves playing for her school and it was an honor to be chosen as the girl player of the year amongst all public and private school players in the North Texas area.
April 2008. Casey just finished playing in the TAPPS 5A Regionals (which conflicted with Easter Bowl). Casey will be playing state in late April of 2008. Here is a note from the coach of another school who ran the recent Regional Tournament as a testament to Casey's character.
"I wanted to drop you a note to brag on one of your kids. Casey Johnson, is a blue chip Div. I athlete, but she is also blue chip kid. Casey gave up playing in one of the premier jr. tennis tournaments in the country this weekend in Palm Springs Ca. She did so to represent her school at our regional tennis tournament. Casey has gained the admiration of every tennis coach and player in our region with her respect for the game and her opponents. I hope you can find a way to honor her publicly with her peers, as she is very deserving of any award or recognition that could be given her. Congratulations on her and your schools success." Mike Hoover; Coach, Dallas Christian
Casey won the Zina Garrison Award for the top G 16s player in Texas (sportsmanship) for 2007 (awarded at Texas Sectionals June 2007)
Casey won (June 07) the Girls 18 S at the Texas Open (Level 3 National)
2nd in G 18D at the Texas Open
Casey was voted MVP of her team at G 16 Zonals in Waco (2007)
Casey won Girls 16 Doubles (Abby Stainback) at Texas Sectional 2007
Won Texas State TAPPS 5A singles (as freshman); April 2007
October 2006 - National Team Tennis Champions - Casey led her team over Southern California in the National Team Tennis Championships winning all of her singles and mixed doubles matches.
Casey runs for her school on the cross country team in the fall to increase her fitness and strength (6 miles a day; meets on Saturdays). Because Casey is so athletic, she should do well cross training in other sports. She has most recently joined the track team in the spring. She currently has one of the top 5 times in the 2 mile run for runners in her division. Unfortunately, she may miss the state competition as it conflicts with the tennis competition.
Casey is very much a team player and loves a challenge. To put it in perspective, in her first cross country meet ever, her team was in a relay. She was the anchor leg. When she started her leg, her team was in 11th place (out of 16). She was determined to earn her teammates a medal and she single handedly passed 7 other runners (as much as 3 minutes ahead of her) and they finished in 4th (earning her teammates and her a medal).
March 2008 - Casey has one of the top 5 times in the 2 mile in track for kids in her division.
October 2007 - Casey's fitness continues to be remarkable. She ran in her district cross country meet and improved her 2 mile time to 12:18, finishing 5th and qualifying for state (not even her main sport). She uses cross country to help her with her tennis fitness etc. She finds with cross country she is fit and has dropped a few pounds making her quicker on the court!
In tennis, her athleticism is seen in doubles as she is a very good doubles player who loves to poach and her favorite shot is her overhead. She hits them from anywhere on the court!
Casey attends the Shelton School and currently has a 3.8 gpa.
Casey's longer term plans (she thinks) include playing tennis in college and majoring in some form of business. She is interested in possibly playing tennis after college, however, her longer term goal is to go in to some form of business. She would be interested in attending a college with a good Education or Nursing program. She is also interested in pharmacy.
Casey comes from a tennis playing family. Her mother played at LSU and was in the top 15 in the US in singles and doubles, attending the first "NCAA" championship for women. Her father played at U of Wisconsin/Milwaukee. Her sister (3 years younger) also plays Texas and National events and is currently highly ranked nationally, as well, in singles and doubles.
TENNIS CAMPS
Casey's typical schedule includes cross country workouts several mornings a week and cross country meets on nontennis weekends (in the fall). She goes to school from 8:30 - 4PM, and then works out from 5-7PM 3 days a week; 1 day a week she spends entirely working on the mental approach; tournaments or match play typically on Saturday with Sunday off. She studies from 8-10:30PM most evenings.
On the weekends, when Casey is not at a tournament, she enjoys being a regular kid and having fun. She has many friends that love for her to attend "regular" events such as concerts, movies, shopping, and whatever typical teenagers like to do. She is very socially gifted and loves to have fun with people!
In the summer, she typically plays tennis 2-3 hours daily (in the Texas heat) when she is not traveling or in a tournament. She typically peaks in the summer and early fall due to the extended practice schedule and tournament schedule.
Casey will improve dramatically in college due to the increased practice schedule and training available.
ACADEMY
Casey's current schedule includes practice/drilling 2-3 days a week, regular workouts with the pro, hitting sessions with former college players, and weekly "pressure play" sessions, as well. Casey recently started working with Craig O'Shannessy as he is back from touring with Amer Delic. They have specifically been working on technique (dartfish daily) and doubles. You may be familiar with Craig from the Brain Game.
Casey very much understands the game of doubles and will be a tremendous asset for college teams looking for good singles/doubles players. She is very big on covering the middle, volleying, hitting overheads and skill shots that most traditional academies don't work on regularly. She understands covering the center window and understands how if that is controlled, the window may change. She loves to serve and volley and will immediately make an impact on "winning" the doubles point.
Casey also regularly practices with Anna Lubinsky (former Texas A & M All American) and Ron Mercado; she also works specifically on the mental piece one day a week, as well...which is specifically working on the mental approach (using Brad Gilbert's "Winning Ugly" book as a point of reference, among others).
Casey and Anna specifically work on the college game and what it takes.
Ron has numerous years of experience, most recently training in Spain on the European style of play. Casey plays more of the European all court style of working the point (as opposed to the American style of big serve and power forehand), thus Ron works with Casey to continue to develop an all court game. Therefore, Casey plays more of a style of working the point using variety and skill as opposed to power and short points. Her athleticism and brain are her biggest weapons. If there is ever a doubt about what to do, her coach just tells her to go "be a warrior."
Casey is a firm believer in overachieving in the "regular" school environment. She works out early in the morning along with her regular academy schedule in the afternoon. Her belief is she can compete with the "home schooled" and "academy" kids that play tennis 5-6 hours a day by working harder in more condensed workout periods. Unlike most kids who focus on the number of hours they are on the court a day, Casey is more focused on the mental side of the game and really makes sure she is mentally ready (not just physically ready) for her upcoming events.
Casey works on her fitness regularly at the Y after practice and on weekends.
Casey is a big believer in being a "regular kid" and attending "regular" school. She believes that in the long run, she will be a more well rounded individual and wants to participate in "all of the things" in which normal kids get to be involved.
When Casey attends college, she will be perfect for that environment as she is already used to the challenges that a normal school schedule bring!
If you would be interested in further discussions with Casey's parents (and Casey), please e-mail them at
[email protected]. (whatever is within the rules, of course).
(come back....we will try to keep this site updated with new and interesting information.)
