RAPID CITY - With his lengthy list of high school activities and accomplishments, Luke Lynass could almost form his own chapter of Who's Who in education.
There are times when Brett and Karen Lynass think they need to make an appointment to catch up with their busy son, a Sturgis Brown High School senior who's taken the concept of multi-tasking to a new plateau.
"He's always been good about managing his time," said Brett. "He just amazes me sometimes."
Luke is winding down a very active prep career playing in this weekend's state boys tennis tournament.
In addition to playing Flight 1 singles, he shares the No. 1 doubles slot for the Scoopers with teammate Thomas Nettleton.
Lynass was also active in golf and basketball, and was a member of all-state jazz band and all-state chorus.
He served as class president during his freshman, sophomore and junior year and this year is student council president.
That keeps him busy enough for several people, but Lynass has found a way to make it all work.
"It takes a lot of energy, but I'm practiced at it," Luke said.
"There's conflict, but you find a balance."
"We've always pushed our kids to do their very best," said Brett of son Luke and daughter Emily, a sophomore. "We really haven't had to push Luke that much because he's so self-motivated."
Lynass came into the state tennis tournament with a record of 2-15 and fell twice in the early rounds of singles.
He and Nettleton also bowed in doubles Friday to end their tournament.
No matter, said Lynass.
"It's easy when you love what you do. You just try to stay competitive. There's a lot of great players out there," he said.
"I've played tennis forever," he said. "It's a great game."
"It's just you, a ball and the other player, and there's no one to blame but yourself," he said.
With tennis over, Lynass can fine-tune his commencement speech to be delivered at his class's graduation on Sunday.
He plans to major in pre-med and will continue in music at Augustana College in Sioux Falls next fall. Organized sports will have to take a back seat.
"I'll still play tennis for fun, but I'm going to focus on the academics," he said.
There will be no medal and no spot on the podium when the tournament concludes today, but Lynass said he's enjoyed being involved in so many facets of his education.
"I've been able to do a lot of things for my school and my community," he said. "I wouldn't have had it any other way."
Posted in Local on Friday, May 16, 2008 11:00 pm
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