St. Francis 7th grader Ellie Blaine inspires team while competing in a wheelchair

In nearly 30 years of coaching high school tennis, Joe Fredrickson thought he had seen just about everything.

Then this fall, a seventh-grader named Ellie Blaine joined the St. Francis tennis program.

Born with spina bifida, Blaine competes in a wheelchair. When Fredrickson first learned she wanted to be part of the team, his answer came quickly.

“What are our thoughts about having that? My initial answer was absolutely,” Fredrickson said.

While her teammates move around the court on their feet, Blaine navigates it on wheels. Aside from a two-bounce rule used in wheelchair tennis, she plays by the same rules as everyone else.

“I just like the competitiveness of the sport,” Blaine said.

***Click the video box above to watch our feature story on Blaine***

Each point requires anticipation, strategy and constant movement to get her chair into pos...