ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT: JAMES WOOD TENNIS PLAYER DEVIN CARTER

June 12, 2012

James Wood High School 18-year-old senior

Sport: Tennis

Position: No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles

Parents: Randy and Darleen Carter

Hometown: Winchester

Nickname: Some of my friends call me Dev, but that’s only two or three people.

When did you start playing tennis: Start of the season my freshman year of high school. My brother [Ryan] played in high school, but he didn’t play when he was a senior, which is when I was a freshman. I just decided, had a good time with it, I’ll try it out.

What you love about tennis: Most of all I like a lot of the people in tennis. A lot of the people I play are really nice people and I can really get along with them. Other than that I just love every aspect of it. It’s kind of like a thinking game along with a physical game, so I kind of like mixing the two together.

Biggest strength and weakness in tennis: One of my bigger strengths is just keeping my head in a match. There was one match against Handley that was kind of bad, but for the most part I don’t show a lot of frustration. [Weakness], when I’m trying to put together the right shots at the right times and waiting for a good opportunity to close out a point, sometimes I may get a little impatient. I’ll come up to net at the wrong time or hit the wrong shot. Sometimes I’ll hit a stupid shot.

Sport you always wanted to try: I’ve always wanted to surf. I like being at the beach. I’ve skied and I wake-boarded before, and I think it would would really cool having the waves push you, instead of going over them on boat.

Most memorable moment in tennis: My freshman year we played Sherando [in the district semifinals], and I won a three-set match at six singles against [senior] Adam Compton. I had only been playing about two months, so to pull out a good match like that meant a lot.

Most embarrassing moment in tennis: That was this year when I played Handley at home, and I lost my head [against Mark Sfeir]. I just got really frustrated and lost. I was out of town and hadn’t played for a week, then I had that match the next day. I thought I could have done better.

Favorite athlete: [Tennis player] Rafael Nadal. I just like his personality. I read a book on him. He’s really family-oriented and he isn’t a really greedy guy. Based on his family and his lifestyle, I’d say he’s my favorite.

Favorite sports team: Washington Redskins

Three people you can have dinner with, dead or alive: Abraham Lincoln; Nadal; and my grandad. With Lincoln, I’d like to see how he went through his presidency, and I’d love to sit down and talk to him about how he got through the Civil War. My grandad passed away when I was in second grade. He was a really good guy.

Favorite Quote: “Everything happens for a reason.” If something goes wrong in your life, it happens for a reason. Maybe it makes you a better person, or maybe later in life you learn to stay from that thing, or you learn to approach it in a different way. And if something bad will happen, maybe something good will happen.

Favorite subject in school: History. I don’t like to get really in-depth with history, but I like just learning about how we are now and how society got to what it was. I just like learning about all the wars and think it’s really intriguing.

What’s on the iPod: I listen to almost everything except rap and metal. I really Nickelback.

Plans after high school: I’m going to Lord Fairfax in the fall, and I’d like to transfer to a four-year college after a year or two there.