Athlete of the Week: Brittany Reitz -- Mutual feelings

Richard Dunn

With home schooling, private tutors and tennis instruction, along

with the usual travel on the Southern California Tennis Association

junior circuit, Brittany Reitz was a one-girl band.

Now, she’s jamming with an entire orchestra.

“I’d always heard about high school tennis in general and it always

appealed to me. I’d always wanted to participate on a team,” said Reitz,

a junior who played No. 2 singles this season for Corona del Mar, which

captured the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship last week.

Last year, the Newport Coast resident played three nonleague matches

for Mater Dei, but lasted only 28 days at the Santa Ana-based parochial

school and even less time on the tennis team.

Things didn’t mix at Mater Dei, so Reitz, who was home schooled during

eighth and ninth grades, transferred to St. Margaret’s in San Juan

Capistrano. Not to play tennis, but for academics.

Reitz was comfortable at the private St. Margaret’s, where she

attended fifth through seventh grades. But a 30-minute drive each way to

daily tennis practice was too grueling, so Reitz finally decided to

transfer to CdM, which was more than happy to accommodate the highly

touted junior on its team.

But CIF section officials balked and forced Reitz to sit out until

Oct. 16, before giving her permission to play on Coach Andy Stewart’s

squad, ranked No. 1 wire-to-wire in Orange County and CIF Division IV in

2000.

“Would we have won CIF without (Reitz)? I don’t know. But she lost

only one match in the CIF playoffs,” said Stewart, whose team already had

a standout in sophomore Anne Yelsey, before Reitz joined the team.

Reitz posted a 34-5 record this season, including three losses by

default when she came down with bronchitis against University.

Her only other setbacks were against San Marino’s Luana Magnani and

CdM teammate Yelsey for the Pacific Coast League singles title Nov. 2,

with Yelsey winning a riveting decision, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, in 2:15 and one

game in the second set featuring 13 deuces.

Reitz, still alive in the CIF individual singles championships

Thursday and Friday at the Claremont Club, provided CdM with an

incredible one-two punch at first and second singles in the second half

of the season.

“With Brittany and Anne, I feel pretty solid in singles, going up

against any team in Southern California,” said Stewart, whose program was

relegated to Division IV this year, after decades in the largest (or

seemingly toughest) division in the section, because section officials

prohibited move-ups in sports with enrollment-based playoffs.

Reitz, meanwhile, had her own issues this year.

“I transferred from Mater Dei to St. Margaret’s last year strictly for

academics and not related to tennis, but they (CIF officials) viewed it

differently,” she said. “They didn’t want people changing from school to

school, like someone wanting to go to a better football team or whatever.

I think they used me as a scapegoat. I thought it was unfair (to be

ineligible until Oct. 16).

“I wanted to play tennis for Corona del Mar and they prevented me from

doing that the first half of the season.”

Reitz, whose goals include playing tennis at a top college and one day

running her own corporation, is polished on the court and in the

classroom.

But she isn’t one of those child protege stories, where youngsters are

born with rackets in hand and pro tour on the agenda.

No, Reitz instead was a swimmer and soccer player. Then, one day, her

parents stuck a tennis racket in her hand at age 9 and she fell in love.

Ojai-based Skip Redondo was Reitz’s first private coach. She still

trains with Redondo, but also is coached by Scott Davis of Newport Beach

Tennis Club. Reitz’s introduction to tennis came under former junior

director Sam Olson at the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club.

Now, after sweeping her three sets in the CIF Division IV finals

against Calabasas last week at the Claremont Club, 6-0, 6-1, 6-0, Reitz

has been able to experience the zenith of team play.

“I’m just glad I could be able to go out and help Corona del Mar High

School any way I could,” said Reitz, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week.

“We have some great players on the team. There isn’t any doubt in

anybody’s mind that we could play against the top competition in any

division. I really love the girls on the team and it’s just a privilege

to play for Corona del Mar High School.”

At this point, with set and match in hand, the feelings are mutual.