MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Thursday was a really good day for Gordon and Ginger Williams.
Today could be even better.
The Signal Mountain parents enter the final day of the TSSAA individual state tennis tournaments with children scheduled for the finals of three separate events. Their oldest son Grant, a senior, is paired with classmate Thomas Thelen in the Small Class boys' doubles final. Gabe, a sophomore, is in the singles' final, while Grace, an eighth-grader, is playing with senior Sarah Kate Bailey in the girls' doubles final.
"This is wonderful," Gordon said. "It was the only opportunity they had to play together, so it's been great."
The five Signal athletes are the Chattanooga area's only public school participants remaining today. Arts & Sciences' Sunshine Finnell fell in the Small Class semifinals, after a 6-0, 6-4 win over Summertown's Ashley McBride in the first round. Rhea County's Kyle Shaver and Brandon Newell lost in the Large Class doubles semifinals.
Bradley Central's Jared Elrod and Walker Valley's Joelee Fugate and Karley Buckner fell in the first round.
The Williams parents find themselves in different spots during Signal Mountain matches. Gordon, an assistant coach on the team, considers himself more of a "floater" who bounces around from match to match and encourages wherever necessary. Ginger, more nervous, prefers to "watch from a distance."
Today is the final opportunity for all three Williams children to share the same court, and it may happen for only two of them. Gabe, set to face L&N STEM's Evan Carr in the final, has a pre-scheduled trip out of town and may not be able to compete in his match. The parents were working on setting up other arrangements for his trip, but regardless, nothing can take away from the family's emotion on Thursday.
"I'm a little jealous it didn't take them as long as it took me, but I'm really proud of them," Grant said of his siblings. "It's been pretty awesome getting this one year to play with both of them, and I'm super proud of them.
"It's been great."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.
