Minor's major passion: Tennis

Jasmine Minor was a national cheerleader growing up. She traveled locally and even nationally for the sport and, at times, envisioned herself eventually cheering for an NFL team.

"I loved it," Minor said of cheerleading.

Problem was, er, is: she loves playing tennis more.

So she quit cheerleading and has pursued stardom on the court, with a racket in hand, not a pair of pom pons.

"It was difficult to leave (cheerleading), but I absolutely love to play tennis," she said. "That is my passion."

Minor, 17, a senior at Carmel Catholic, is the team's No. 1 singles player with legitimate state championship potential. She was, after all, the third-place finisher at the 2008 IHSA state finals, losing in the semifinals to the eventual state champion, Elizabeth Epstein of Chicago's Francis Parker.

"I felt a little awkward at the start of (this) season, but have since been playing really well and gotten my confidence back, so I'm really excited," said Minor, who won No. 1 singles last weekend at the Fenwick Quad. "This year, I'm working really hard to stay on top of my fitness, stay on top of my game. I want to be 100 percent by the time the state tournament rolls around (in October).

"This year, I want to redeem myself. And I'm at a really good level right now. I've regained all of my confidence. I feel fully comfortable out there. I've got that fire back. I just feel very confident."

Minor skipped her junior year seemingly all together. She left Carmel - and the tennis team - to be home-schooled through the Laurel Springs School so she could focus on improving her national tennis rankings.

"I decided to take a year off, so I could play in more tournaments, get more training, and just work really hard on my game," Minor said. "I got in great shape and played extensively.

"It was just the right timing for me. I had always planned to do at least one year of home schooling sometime in high school just because, when I'm in school, I'm not allowed to miss as many days for tournaments (as I'd like), so that limits how much (additional) I can play."

Minor admits her junior year was a huge adjustment.

"When you're home-schooled, you don't have someone who is constantly on your case about exams, due dates, etc. So, it takes a lot of maturity and a lot of discipline," she said. "If you slack off even just a little bit, you can easily and quickly find yourself months behind on school work in many classes, and obviously that's not good. It definitely was a huge responsibility, one that I hadn't ever had in my life.

"It was different, but it was a good experience."

The online education was just as good, just as challenging, she said. The main difference was, she absolutely had to stay on top of everything. Self-discipline was key, especially when your schedule includes Advanced Placement courses.

Minor has more AP classes this year and is en route to her final year of academic perfection.

"It's pretty much straight A's with me, or nothing," she said. "I don't think I've ever gotten a B in high school. In fact, that's kind of the dominant rule. Coming home with a B is just kind of unacceptable in my family."

And that's more her own rule than from her parents, Kevin and Michelle.

"Obviously my parents want me to strive for A's, and they expect the best out of me and they know that I'm capable of getting straight A's because I've basically done that my whole life," she said. "But I'm also pretty tough on myself. I wont accept anything less than an A. That's just how I am. I'm not just an athlete. I'm a student-athlete. I try to be the best I can be on the court and in the classroom."

Her best/favorite subject is English. Her hardest class appears to be AP biology. And her calculus and Spanish classes are, well, her easiest to ace.

"I've always been really, really quick with math," Minor said. "That's just always been a really, really good subject for me. "I'm around different languages and cultures all the time thanks to all of the traveling I do for tennis."

So, that helps with her Spanish.

Minor's older sister, Kristina, 21, played tennis as a sophomore at Carmel, and also for the University of Illinois before graduating earlier this year. Her younger sister, Brienne, 12, is an eighth-grade tennis player, too.

"Jasmine has really stepped up her game this year - her play, her stamina, her drive and her maturity on the court," said Carmel coach Nancy Fehn, who's in her 12th season. "She's a very, very focused person and player. She's the best player I've coached."

Minor boasts a major serve and lethal forehand. She often attacks the net and plays an aggressive game.

"My serve probably is my biggest weapon," she said. "That is one thing that I really worked hard on last year. I'm really, really confident with my serve. I know I can get a lot of points thanks to my serve.

"My sophomore season, I was with a lot of seniors on the team, and that was kind of hard because I didn't know them as well. This year, there are a lot more (fellow) seniors, people who I have known for years, so it's a lot of fun. We're having a great time."

And Minor is winning a lot.