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Expires 7/31/15 PARS R.LSTAURANT , Mediterranean Persian Cuisine Mk* 30005 Orchard Lake Road Farmington Hills (North of 13 Mile) www.pars1resturant.com 248.851.8200 Pars Mediterranean Restaurant 20% Off Total Food Bill Exp. 09.09.15 Hours: Mon-Thur 11am-10pm Fri & Sat 11am-11pm Sunday 11 am-9pm Pars Mediterranean Restaurant Buy One Entrée Get 2nd Entrée 1/2 Off Exp. 09.09.15 2004900 38 June 11 • 20' Contributing Writer A Join us for @NE Steve Stein manda Simmons made quite a "racquet" as a girls tennis player at Cranbrook-Kingswood High School. She won two Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 state championships in doubles and helped the Cranes push their streak of team Division 3 state titles to five in a row. But the senior's high school resume doesn't end on the tennis court. She held the first chair in trumpet in the Cranbrook-Kingswood orchestra all four years. The 17-year-old from Bloomfield Hills is so talented with the trumpet that she passed auditions for the schools of music at the University of Michigan, Indiana University and Northwestern University before deciding to attend Northwestern. "Believe it or not, playing tennis and the trumpet are a lot alike Simmons said. "Purposeful practice is important and so is technique. And you have to keep working no matter how hard things get" The high school tennis season this spring was a testament to Simmons' deter- mination. She won the No. 1 doubles state title with Meg Phyle last year, but Coach Jeff Etterbeek decided to split up the girls this year. "I couldn't see having two seniors and my co-captains at one position in our lineup" Etterbeek said. "I thought we'd be wasting experience and skill." Simmons was moved to No. 2 doubles with Amanda Twu, but they struggled, and Etterbeek decided to pair them with other partners. Simmons and Twu were reunited at the state tournament late last month at Kalamazoo College at a competition and stunned the experts by winning the No. 2 doubles state title. The No. 5-seeded duo lost only one game — their first of the tournament — in four matches. After beating St. Clair 2-6, 6-0, 6-4 and Grosse Ile 6-2, 6-4 in their first two matches, Simmons and Twu avenged reg- ular-season losses in beating Grand Rapids Christian 6-2, 6-4 and Holland Christian 7-6 (6), 6-3 in the semifinals and finals. Simmons said she's proud of her second state title in doubles, but even prouder of her team for keeping its state champion- ship streak alive. Amanda Simmons Cranbrook-Kingswood scored 32 points. Grand Rapids Christian (28) and Detroit Country Day (27) weren't far behind. "No one thought we would win state because we lost our best player (Alex Najarian, a three-time No. 1 singles state champion now playing for Michigan):' Simmons said. "But we bonded. It was an honor to be a captain" Etterbeek wasn't surprised by Simmons' remarks. "First and foremost, Amanda is a team player" he said. The coach also praised Simmons for "rising to the challenge with many irons in the fire talking about tennis, trum- pet and being a straight-A student at the Bloomfield Hills-based school. Simmons also has been a figure skating instructor for the FAR Conservatory of Therapeutic and Performing Arts and a volunteer at Hadassah House making dolls for cancer-stricken youngsters for several years. She and special partner Patrick McCann won a gold medal in unified pairs figure skating earlier this year at the Special Olympics Michigan State Winter Games at the Howe Arena in Traverse City. Unified sports brings together people with and without intellectual disabilities for train- ing and competition with an emphasis on meaningful participation. "How have I kept up with everything? I wish I knew" Simmons said. "Time man- agement and prioritizing are important, of course. There have a been a lot of late nights and stress but, all in all, it's been fun." Simmons is looking forward to attend- ing Northwestern even though several family members are Michigan grads. "I love being home, but it's important for me to be on my own:' she said. Her sister Megan Simmons — a 2012 Cranbrook-Kingswood graduate who was a No. 1 doubles state champion in tennis with Meg Phyle in 2012 — will be a senior next school year at Washington University in St. Louis. ❑ Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.