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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Allen looks to make mark before leaving competitive tennis behind

Mike Saunders Correspondent

Clark Fork High’s Rayna Allen is one cool Wampus Cat.

A three-sport standout, Allen is the defending State 3A tennis champion and, though she wouldn’t mind ending her prep career with another title, she’s not going to lose any sleep over it.

Allen, it seems, is at peace with the world – a world she eagerly wants to go out into.

“I’m really looking forward to college life,” said Allen, who plans to attend North Idaho College this fall. “I’ve lived here my whole life, so getting out and living in a town of more than 500 sounds amazing right now.

“Coeur d’Alene will be a good start. Maybe I’ll move to a big city later on.”

Fans of Allen’s on-court exploits – she’s 10-0 this season, but will face her stiffest competition May 4-5 at the Inland Empire tournament in Spokane – needn’t worry about her mailing anything in.

“I do want to win state again – I won’t say that I don’t,” said Allen, who is coached at CFHS by her mother, Lisa, whom she calls one of her closest friends. “It would be nice to win two years in a row – that and doing well at the Inland Empire tournament are my big goals this season.

“But mainly, I just want to have fun right now and enjoy my last year of high school.”

Maybe the clearest indication of where her heart lies is her recent decision to decline an offer to continue at the next level: Lewis-Clark State recruited Allen to play tennis.

“I could go play tennis for LCSC, but I just don’t want to play competitively any more,” she said, adding that she would never give up the game entirely and will continue to play recreationally. “My boyfriend is playing college sports, and he explained to me how much work it is, so I said, ‘No, I’m good.’ “

As for her boyfriend, 2006 Clark Fork grad Stu Berkley, who attends Mayville (N.D.) State, Allen said things are going just fine despite the long distance.

Besides, she’s got plenty of other challenges to occupy her time.

“Right now, it’s all about school – I want to get my degree and get out,” says Allen, who will study social work and maybe become a probation officer. “I was going to go into psychology, but a four-year program wasn’t going to be enough to actually get a good job.

“But with social work, after college, there’s a major need for it.”