Bruton junior Kurt Mittman hopes to accomplish his pre-season goal of becoming a Bay Rivers District singles champion Wednesday. (Photo by Will Armbruster/WYDaily)
Immediately after watching Bruton junior Kurt Mittmann defeat Jamestown’s Sam Ross in the semifinal round of the Bay Rivers District tennis singles tournament Monday, Eagles coach Bob Artis removed his tight grip from the fence surrounding Warhill High’s courts, turned, and offered a bit of praise as he walked toward both players.
“He’s ready to take over the mantle,” Artis said.
Artis, the most successful boys tennis coach in Bay Rivers history who has guided Jamestown to an unprecedented seven consecutive district titles, is an advocate for all who come through the area. His compliment referred to to Mittmann’s emergence as the new “top dog” in the district.
Ask Mittmann, the top-seeded singles player in this year’s Bay Rivers individual tournament, though, and he’s hesitant to boast. Remind him that his only singles loss of the year so far came against the No. 1 player and two-time defending Southeastern Conference champion on AAA powerhouse Hickory High School, and he’ll say there’s always room for improvement. The junior standout hasn’t always been so humble – he’s the first to admit that – and his rise to the top of the Bay Rivers District has been one of many lessons.
Mittmann and his coach at Bruton, James Barr, both agree that the most important lesson came during his freshman season.
Inspired to play tennis at a young age by his older sister, Helen Mittmann, a Group AA state singles semifinalist for the Panthers who graduated in 2010, Kurt has always possessed many court skills – most notably a powerful forehand and excellent court coverage. But qualities such as leadership and work ethic were some he was forced to learn earlier than most.
“Kurt has played tennis for a really long time, and as an eighth grader he came up and was just crushing people on [Bruton’s varsity] team and in exhibition matches,” Barr said.
So when Mittmann joined Bruton’s varsity team as a freshman, Barr gave him the responsibility of being the team’s No. 1 singles player.
“I think he knew he was the best person out there, and he was, but I think that also gave him sort of a sense of entitlement, and he wasn’t really pushing himself,” Barr added.
That would all change soon after Dylan Scott, a senior on the Panthers team at the time, beat Mittmann in a ladder match, and continued edging the upstart freshman on a consistent basis. As a result, Barr dropped Mittmann to the No. 2 slot and gave his senior a run at No. 1.
“I really feel like that experience kind of lit a fire under him,” Barr said. “I think it opened his eyes to the fact that he’s not going to show up and run over kids just because of his pedigree, and because he’s been playing for so long.”
Said Mittmann, “I was young and sort of arrogant, and thought I had [the top singles spot on the team] in the bag. Dylan was a good friend of mine, and being beat by him and seeing how hard he worked for it really drove me for the next year to become better and increase my training and just work as hard as I could.”
Following his freshman season, Mittmann began working tirelessly on his game and honing his skills “day-in, day-out,” usually up to four hours a day, including regular sessions with area training guru Brent Hughes, a certified United States Tennis Registry professional.
Mittmann returned to his post as the Panthers’ No. 1 as a sophomore, where he emerged as the “unquestionable leader” of the team, according to Barr. His improvement on the court was evident as he finished third in the district singles tournament and advanced as far as the regional semifinals.
Mittmann continued to intensify his training this past offseason, and said he gained a lot of valuable experience hitting with former Bay Rivers District standouts Ryan Byrd, a Warhill grad who went on to play for Mary Washington, and J.J. Wilroy, a Group AA state doubles champion who graduated from Jamestown High last spring and currently attends William and Mary.
“I entered this season as confident as I’ve ever been,” Mittmann said. “Coach Brent Hughes gave me a goal sheet in the fall, and mine was to become the best singles player in the district.”
Mittmann, who has breezed through district play this season without dropping a set, can accomplish that goal Wednesday, when he faces Jamestown’s Fabian Schleicher in the district singles final at 3 p.m. at Huntington Park.
“I’ve hit with Fabian a couple times,” Mittmann said. “He’s a streaky player. My approach is to just stay calm, not get overanxious and just play my game.”
Mittmann’s dominance this season goes beyond his unblemished record against district opponents, even if that comes at the expense of his coach.
“I used to beat him regularly up to the end of last year,” Barr said. “But after last summer he really turned that corner where he wants to be the best, and doesn’t just expect to be, and it’s really showed. I’ve beaten him once, maybe twice, this year.
“I told him that he’s the prohibitive favorite in the district this season, but reminded him that everyone’s going to be gunning for him and give him their best shot, and that he was really going to have to work hard and fight to make a district championship happen. He’s taken nothing for granted, and it all ties into the lessons from freshman year.”
While Mittmann’s progress on the court is most glaring, his maturation may best be defined by his outlook on the future.
A sure college tennis prospect, Mittmann, who boasts a 4.0 grade point average, has even higher expectations for himself in the classroom. He hopes to study engineering in college, and said if he had to make the choice between going to school for tennis or academics, “It would have to be academics.”
“Tennis has given me so much and taught me a lot about life in general,” Mittmann. “But luckily I’m young enough where I don’t have to make those decisions yet.”
