MACON, Ga. — Since he was practically in diapers, First Presbyterian Day School senior, Camden Lashley says tennis was a part of his relationship with his dad, Derek.
"I can remember, when I was a little kid, going to watch him play tennis tournaments around Macon and around the state and I would watch him and say I wanted to be as good as him one day," Camden said.
Camden's done that and more, making a name for himself on the local tennis circuit en route to a scholarship at Covenant College.
He said having his dad as his high school coach can be tough, but it's all love between the pair.
"At practice, I'm always the one that gets yelled at the most, but that's okay. It's been fun. I don't want it to end yet," Camden said.
Derek does his best not to let coaching come before parenting.
"Not too many coaches get to coach their child from five years up to 12th grade," Derek said. "The attitude is most important and if he's not having fun, then we need to step back and reevaluate what I'm doing as a dad, as a coach, because I want him to have a good time."
Camden has yet to reach a breaking point with his dad calling the shots. In fact, he's embraced it.
"Just seeing him show examples of leadership even at a younger age, pretending to be my assistant coach from the small teams to where he's at now. It gives me a sense of pride knowing he's going to be in good hands," Derek said.
Camden serves up aces on and off the court. He has a 4.0 GPA, is a FPD star student, and sports a 1510 SAT score.
"I wouldn't be going where I am today without my grades and without both my parents really pushing on me to do my best in the classroom and on the tennis court. I've always had pride in the fact I'm a top tier student and a top tier athlete," Camden said.
His self-discipline will be put to the test now with a two-week sports suspension and distance learning.
Camden already puts in about 10 hours of training every week. Now, with a GHSA suspension, private training becomes even more important.
Derek has sent out training regimens to his athletes for them to complete at home. Whether or not the suspension will be lifted in two weeks is up in the air, but he wants his athletes prepared.
"If tennis comes back, I'm sure the GHSA is going to say, 'let's go' and we have to be ready," Derek said.
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