[ad_1]
El Camino Real athletics had two huge reasons to celebrate this fall — and both of them came at the hands of Mia Beardsley.
Beardsley doubled down on the dreams of many high school athletes who want to win a CIF championship. Not only did she win two CIF L.A. City Section championships, but she did it for two different sports — tennis and flag football — in the same season.
Going the distance in doubles
Tennis was Beardsley’s first love. At a young age, she was taught tennis by her mom.
Fast forward to high school, and during her freshman year she immediately became the No. 1 singles player for the Royals. This season was Beardsley’s fourth and final year on the team and she finished an 8-1 record (7-1 singles, 1-0 doubles).
Even with her outstanding record and seniority, Beardsley willingly took a backseat approach after the arrival of freshman standout Bailey Perry, who became the No. 1 singles player for ECR this season.
Then right before the City individual tournament started, she told Royals girls tennis head coach Jason Grider that she wanted to enter as a doubles team with Perry.
“Seeing how good Bailey was, I could not miss out on the opportunity to play with her,” said Beardsley. “It turned out to be a great idea.”
The players meshed well together and won the City doubles title on Nov. 21, giving Beardsley her first City tennis championship.
The decision to compete in doubles came as no surprise to anyone who has seen Beardsley’s competitive side.
“Mia is a generational player,” said Grider. “The athleticism is unparalleled to anybody that I’ve seen … She’s a tremendous athlete, a great leader, and is just a well-respected, generational player.”
“When I took over coaching last season,” Grider added, “Mia was my right-hand person. She would be the one to communicate everything with the team and they responded well to her. She made coaching easy and has what it takes to compete at any level.”
From the court to the field
Beardsley’s athletic gifts — from the quick feet she attained through tennis to her ability to track and catch from softball — helped her quickly become a force in flag football.
Beardsley was one of the ECR athletes who pitched the idea of starting a flag football team to the school’s athletic director.
“I thought, there’s no better sport for someone athletic to play,” Beardsley said of wanting the school to begin a flag football program. “I knew a lot of athletic girls, so I thought if we can get a good group of athletes from other sports together we’d be great, and that’s exactly what happened. I went to tryouts, caught my first ball and it was the best thing ever.”
This year was Beardsley’s first experience with the sport. She dove into while continuing to play tennis matches this fall.
“If you want to build a program, Mia would be the person that you want,” Royals flag football head coach Rick Hayashida said.
“She’s very athletic, but her competitiveness sets her apart. Not only in games but in practice and everything that she does. She’s a highly competitive person and it’s something as a coach you wish every single person was like that. We were fortunate to get her because tennis is her main sport. She fell in love with football.”
The Royals’ girls flag football program won an L.A. City Section championship on Nov. 25 by beating Cleveland 26-0.
While most athletes dream about winning one title, Beardsley won two in a week.
It was a historic moment for Beardsley, whose full potential remains to be seen. As of now, she remains undecided about her college plans.
“The main thing is wanting and having the drive,” said Beardsley. “If you’re passionate about what you do there’s nothing that can stand in your way. Even when I was nervous, I would look in the mirror and tell myself this is all I do and what I’ve done my whole life and I love it so much. Then, nothing got in my way.”
0 Comments