Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Rayna Johnson, Havre Tennis Camp

While many Havre High students are taking their time off during the summer, many other athletes are participating in their camps to get themselves ready for their upcoming seasons. Rayna Johnson, a Havre High senior tennis player, worked on her game at the Havre Tennis Camp on Monday as she looks to play well in her senior year with the Ponies this spring.

"I'm looking forward to trying and making the most of this year and becoming the best I can," Johnson said. "Since my freshman year was cut short because of COVID, I really want to take the most of the opportunity of my last year of play."

Despite some adversity at the beginning of her career, Johnson has had a strong run for the Ponies. She has been the number one singles player for the girls team since her sophomore season. As she has been one of the Ponies' best players over the years, she credits her support staff for her success.

"(It's) probably the coaching and the encouragement of my family and friends," Johnson said.

"Rayna has become a really good player," HHS head coach George Ferguson, who also ran this week's Havre Tennis Camp, with its 60-plus attendees, said. "She's a hard worker. She really wants to improve and keep learning and she really has this strong desire to just get better. She's very smart, very intelligent, and she's always wanting to learn and grow. That's why she's so great in the classroom, but it's also why she's become the player she is. She never stops wanting to learn. She never stops working hard. As her coach, I really appreciate that.

"Rayna is also in this senior class that had their freshman season taken away because of COVID," Ferguson continued. "So to think, that learning year, which is so critical, it never happened, and to see how far she's still come, that speaks volumes about how hard she's worked. She's a very determined person."

Tennis is not the only thing that Johnson has had success in. She is on the cheer squad in the winter and she participates in extracurricular activities such as key club, pep club and community service. She is also successful in academics as she has a 4.0 GPA as a high school student. But there is still plenty she still wants to accomplish, especially in tennis.

"I want to make it to state this year," Johnson said. "This past year at divisionals, I was one game short from making it to state. I got to the semifinals of the consolation bracket (at divisionals) so I hope to make it to state this year."

Once high school is over, Johnson plans on attending college but has not decided which one yet. She hopes to stay somewhere in the state and has recently visited Carroll College and Montana State University. She plans on studying in the medical field as she is thinking about getting a PA because she could use that to go into any field. Another option she is looking at is optometry.

Before she heads off to college, Johnson wants to end her high school career on a positive note. As she looks to make it to state in her final year in the program, Johnson has already begun preparing with the Havre Tennis Camp on Monday. While she worked on her game at the camp, the Havre Daily News got the chance to ask her five questions.

HDN: What's your favorite tennis memory?

Johnson: "I like going to the Billings Mayfair tournament. That's one of the biggest tournaments of the year and it's just always a blast going down to Billings."

HDN: What do you love the most about tennis?

Johnson: "I love that you can always come back. It's not over until the game is over and you shake hands with your opponent. It's on to the next point, you always get another chance."

HDN: What's the hardest part about tennis?

Johnson: "The hardest part about it is that it's a very mental sport. I get really down on myself and it's hard to come back from that but when you do, it's worth it because you can tell you play better when you're not getting down on yourself about everything."

HDN: With all the activities that you participate in, how do you manage to be successful in school as well?

Johnson: "It's very hard. There's a lot of late nights, that's for sure. I talk to my teachers and just try to do the best I can in my school work because I get disappointed in myself when I don't see the result I know I'm capable of and it's that way in tennis too. But with academics, I'm a little more focused on that."

HDN: With everything you do, what do you like to do in your free time when you get the chance?

Johnson: "During the school year, I like to hang out with my friends and just try to remember that I'm still a kid. The homework will always be there. It'll be there in the morning and it'll be there at night so every once in a while, I like to try and go do those things and remember that I'm only in high school once."