By Keighla Schmidt
UWRF Sports Information

Many people have heard the quote, "it's not what you know it's who you know." For Falcon tennis player Leah Baron, that was a good thing.

Baron got into tennis when she was just 9 years old. He mother put her in the community program because one of her friends was the instructor. Baron took to the sport and has been playing since.

A senior this year, Baron has kept her self very busy as a two sport athlete with her season going from early August to March. Baron plays tennis and hockey. There is even a time period where the seasons overlap.

Baron said it is sometimes very difficult to do both tennis and hockey, stay on top of academics and have a social life. "I don't see it that way though," Baron said. "'Cause it's the life that I chose."

Baron has been on the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in both 2003 and 2004. She is majoring in health and human performance, with a minor in art. Baron said she would like to get her personal training certificate.

Tennis and hockey are not the only ways that Baron is involved on campus. A small group of women teach figure skating and she has helped to organize an annual skating show held in December. She said each year "the show gets better." Baron teaches people how to skate as a full time job in Stillwater, Minn., a job she will have when she graduates next semester. She also worked at a speed and agility shop, Excelleration, also in her home state of Minnesota.

Being so involved in both sports and outside activities Baron has learned qualities that she can apply in other areas of her life. "Patience," she said. " I have to take a deep breath and say, 'you can do this.'"

She has also learned the importance of communication.

Baron had been a singles player all through high school. Coming to UW-River Falls and having to play double as well, was a big change.

Tennis coach Lee Lueck said as a doubles player Baron is "improving."

She has had the same partner for three years, Megan Knobloch, also a senior. The two work well as a team and have developed signals and ways to communicate to be a better team. "We have to play as one but we're a doubles team," Baron said. "The most important thing is that you and your doubles partner need to be on the same page." Baron said that she thinks it helped that neither of the players had doubles experience before coming to River Falls. "We were both going through the same thing," she said. "We've come a long way." They finished their careers in fifth place in the WIAC Meet at No. 1.

She communicates with all the other players on the team. Baron is a co-captain this year along with Knobloch. Baron is a mediator for the team to the coaching staff and she also plans out the conditioning that the team will do.

A two sport captain organizing how much conditioning will be done could be a little overwhelming, but Baron said that wasn't the case. She said she wanted to show that she was serious about working hard, and lead by example.

She also talks to the coach. Lueck said if the front seat in the van is open when the team goes on road trips, Baron will take the open seat and talk with him along the way. He said the conversations are "adult to adult," they are about anything. "I like that," Lueck said. He said Baron is more than a player to him. "She will always be my friend," he said.

Baron said she shared the sentiment. "We will definitely still have that friendship when tennis is over," she said. In those conversations the two are comfortable talking about life situations, Lueck said Baron had had ups and downs that test her ability, but he understands. "Some issues are more important than tennis, more important than school," Lueck said.

Baron had just one day to shift her focus to the WIAC tourney after sending her boyfriend off to Iraq.

She's also learned dedication. "I'm not going to give 95 percent ever," Baron said.

Baron begins her days early with classes at 9 a.m. and then tennis and hockey practice finishing up around 7 p.m. Then her nights are spent hanging out or watching movies and doing homework before going to bed.

Baron chose early not to drink or party, she said she dedicated her four years of college to athletics and not drinking. "I enjoy a good week in sports, not drinking," she said.

Lueck said she does it by planning her week well and being organized and dependable.

"I'm such a competitive person," she said. Competition roots in her family. Baron grew up in a house of five kids, she said her parents are "very supportive," they come to most of the home meets and games and the ones close to her hometown of Hermantown, Minn. The person she said she looks up to the most is her dad. He played Div. I hockey at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She said her helped her to stay on the right track. "Everyone falls but he's always there helping me back up," she said.

She's learned perseverance in the face of animosity. Baron said her hockey coach has always been very against her playing two sports. He wants her there all of the time, and not spending time risking injury while playing tennis she said.

There was a time when Baron was injured and could not play. It was the week a tennis meet was scheduled against UW-Eau Claire, a team they were really aiming to beat this year. With Baron out, that left the No. 2 spot vacant. The whole team had to be shifted and moved up a spot, playing competition they were not used to. "It killed the team," Lueck said. "It's like losing (Brett) Favre as quarterback. He said that the outcome of the match, which River Falls lost 7-2, shows how valuable Baron is to the team.

Her value was proven last season as well at the meet against UW-Oshkosh. The teams were tied and Baron and her opponent were the deciding match. Lueck said he could not have had a better player out there to decide the match. Baron pulled through and won the match in three sets, giving the team a 5-4 victory.

The same story was told to Tennis Magazine and they featured Baron as one of the collegiate athletes to watch this season. Baron said it was an honor because she was the only Div. III player featured.

Baron has finished the season right where Lueck said he hoped. She took third place for the second year in a row at No. 2 singles at the WIAC Meet. She doesn't have much time to think about it though; the first hockey game is less than a two weeks away.