There comes a point in most athletes’ lives when they question their ability to play a sport.
They question why they devote so much of their time and energy to one aspect of their life — which, at the end of the day, is “just a game.” They question whether the late nights, early mornings and grueling schedule are all worth it.
For Boston University women’s tennis junior Cori Lefkowith, that moment came during her senior year in high school when a torn back muscle cut the talented Clayton, Mo. tennis captain’s season short.
“Having that injury was probably one of the better things that happened because in those three months, I realized how much I missed the sport and how much it really was a part of my life. It made me work harder to get back to it,” Lefkowith said.
Lefkowith has spent most of her life on the tennis court, which is why it took a sidelining injury to reveal its importance and value in her life.
“I played basically up until the time I delivered Cori,” said her mother, Jamie Lefkowith, who played on the junior circuit. “It’s kind of a joke that she was involved in it even in utero. We would play this game [when she was a baby] where I would move her legs and her arms, showing her underhand and overhand and she would laugh.”
By the time Lefkowith could walk, her mom brought her out to the court, practicing the underhand and overhand shots she first learned in her crib.
“I started playing tennis when I was 3 because my mom decided it was more fun than playing Barbies,” said Lefkowith. “So I just kept playing because it was sort of like a family thing that we did. I honestly just fell in love with it. The fact that it was a family event definitely made it more fun.”
But what started out as a time for family bonding soon became an escape from reality for the budding tennis star. Lefkowith’s tennis practices morphed into her way of avoiding home, where her she knew she would return to her verbally and physically abusive father. His lack of support for her tennis pursuits made Lefkowith want to play even more.
“Tennis was a time to get away from him. It was a time to feel confident in something, it honestly probably is the reason I didn’t totally fall apart when he would insult me or make me feel bad,” Lefkowith said.
Tennis practices and tournaments provided a place for Lefkowith to release her pent up anger and aggression. With her mother’s constant support, Cori spent her weekends competing – leaving everything on the court.
By the time Lefkowith was in fifth grade, her father filed for divorce. After five months living in Chicago, her mother moved back to St. Louis and Lefkowith began competing on the junior circuit.
School dances and pep rallies took a backseat to Lefkowith’s dedication to tennis. The sport had grown from carefree afternoons on the court to a full-fledged force in her life.
At 13, she began working with personal coach Billy Gluck to improve her game. By the time she was in high school, she had developed a style that baffled her opponents.
“She’s quite short. For her to be an aggressive player involves her having a lot of diversity in her game, [being] a very crafty player,” Gluck said.
Lefkowith continued to grow throughout her high school career. She decided to take her junior year off from competing to practice her game in hopes of raising her national ranking to attract recruiting offers from colleges.
Lefkowith’s senior year, however, didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to. She was named captain at Clayton High School, but tore a muscle in her back early in the season. As she underwent demanding rehab for her injury, she found herself overcome by the mixture of emotions brought on by her father’s death to Hepatitis C. Their tumultuous relationship had finally come to an end, but the memories from the past would never be completely erased. For Lefkowith, the death of her father alleviated a lot of pressure concerning where she would end up after college.
“It sounds kind of bad, but it was actually kind of a relief,” Lefkowith said. “He was pushing Brown [University] before then, and I didn’t want to go to Brown. I liked BU, I liked the girls here on the team, I liked the coach, I liked the school itself, so it was kind of a relief for me because I ended up going to the school I wanted to.”
Now in her third year at BU, Lefkowith’s life has come full circle again, as she now fills the role of co-captain with Danielle Abraham. After losing only one match last year and proving herself on and off the court, Lefkowith presented herself as the ideal candidate to lead the team, said BU coach Lesley Sheehan.
“She’s a role model for academics and athletics. She’s no longer a freshman following the rest of the team, she’s leading the team,” Sheehan said.
When she has battled through the toughest times of her life, Lefkowith has channeled her emotions through the racket in her hands. As the leader of the BU tennis team, she seeks to set an example for her teammates and provides support for them in times of need.
“It’s really nice to walk onto a court with someone and fight through a match together knowing that no matter the outcome, you will walk off the court friends,” said Abraham.