Tennis instructor finds natural in 6-year-old

Venus Williams - watch out!

At just 6 years old, Sydney Gier is an amazing natural in tennis, doing forehands, backhands, volleys - even stepping into her swing - and all in her first couple of lessons, according to coach Corky Teska.

One of Teska's dozen students who turned out for the second session of tennis lessons this month, the tiny Taiwanese girl moved to Libby last April from Alaska with her parents, Mary and John Gier, and 9-year-old brother Niklaus, who is also taking lessons.

“She already has the footwork down,” said Teska, noting it only took a couple of lessons. “A lot of time it takes them until they're 8, 9 or 10 years old, and it takes a couple (weeklong) sessions of practice.”

When her husband was offered a promotion with the Forest Service, Mary said they were attracted to Libby because of its quality of life, noting they both originally came from Idaho and were familiar with the area.

According to Mary, the people of Libby have welcomed their family with open arms.

Because it rains 180 inches per year in Ketchikan, the idea of tennis lessons didn't occur to Mary until Asa Wood Elementary School teacher Dean Thompson suggested it.

“There is so much we're able to do here that we couldn't before - hiking, camping, boating. … Before we lived on an island for nine years that was a virtual rain forest,” she said.

Mary said she is especially grateful to Asa Wood teacher Doreen Gruber, who made it a smooth transition for her kids - especially Sydney, who was adopted as a baby from Taiwan.

“Doreen and Dean Thompson got them involved in activities right from the start,” she said. “I haven't met one person who hasn't reached out and said hello.”

Mary said they decided to adopt after the birth of her son, picking a reputable agency they researched and that was recommended by friends.

They chose to adopt from Taiwan, a country that recently opened its doors for international adoptions. Other countries such as Vietnam and Guatemala are closing their doors due to improprieties.

After the completion of the interview process, the family lucked out and were able to adopt in a month, when normally it takes at least a year.

Mary travelled by herself during the SARS outbreak in 2003 to adopt Sydney from a small orphanage outside of Tainan, St. Lucy's.

Plenty of support abounded for the newly-adopted child of 19 months in Ketchikan, where a large group of families provided endless play dates and activities - at least indoors.

Mary said one of her concerns in moving to a new community was that they be as open and accepting of their family.

“It's really important for anyone planning to adopt that they have people to reach out to and share their feelings and situations,” she said. “Libby has been wonderful with that.”

Sydney herself said she likes swimming in the lakes and getting pulled on the inner tube by her dad.

She also enjoys tennis, especially when she hits the ball in the basket and is rewarded with a pop - she won two at her last practice.

Anyone interested in either of Teska's next weeklong tennis lesson sessions (Aug 4-15) can call him at 293-6249.