Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: St. Charles North’s Shannon Lu

Name: Shannon Lu

School: St. Charles North

Sport: Girls tennis

Why she was selected: Lu, a senior, became only the fourth player in St. Charles North history with 100 career victories after winning her match against St. Charles East.

Lu was selected as the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Kane County Chronicle sports reporter Joel Boenitz:

Did you know heading into that week that you were close to 100 wins?

Lu: I knew that I was close, but I had no idea that that was my 100th win that week. My team had actually surprised me with posters and stuff afterwards, so it was a really big surprise for me.

What was the feeling of getting that win, especially against your crosstown rivals?

Lu: It felt so good for sure, especially against [St. Charles] East. We had some smack talk going on in our Instagram comments, and that definitely was a good ending to that. And, yeah, it felt really good.

How do you think you’ve grown as a player since you joined the high school team?

Lu: My mindset while playing tennis has changed a lot since freshman year. I used to actually hate tennis during my freshman year, but being on a team and being around everyone, that definitely changed my mindset a lot. I’ve been able to stay a lot more positive during my points and believe in myself.

After having those struggles during your freshman season, what kept you going?

Lu: I think definitely having a team and people encouraging me and having something to play for, instead of just playing for myself, definitely helped my mindset.

Do you have any plans involving tennis in the future?

Lu: I think just want to play more leisurely in the future. I have thought about it before, but I think I might just join a college club or something.

What is a superstition that you have?

Lu: I have specific socks that I can’t wear, and a pile of Puma socks that I can wear during a match. There’s also the color of our scorecard. We always have to have the white background.