Catence McPherson

In early May, senior Joey Foster and his doubles partner junior Keaton Renaud competed at tennis districts and advanced to state. That alone is a huge accomplishment, but what makes the story even crazier is that Foster was playing on a recovering broken foot. Foster broke his foot playing basketball, and was in a boot for weeks prior to districts.
“This time [for districts] I put a metal plate at the bottom of my shoe, and then I wore an ankle brace. So I could move around pretty well, and that’s how I play.” Foster said.
A broken foot is no joke, it can take months to heal, and Renaud had some concerns.
“It was still weird, the fact that at the start of the season we thought he wasn’t going to be able to play at all, but by districts, he was perfectly fine and ready to go,” Renaud said.
The main concern was whether or not Foster would be able to have the right technique while playing on a broken foot.
“It was most nerve wracking at the start. Will Joey be able to move enough? You don’t have to move as much as singles, but there is still a lot of forwards, backwards, lateral movement,” Reanaud said.
Despite the duo’s worries, they pushed through and went to state after performing incredibly well at the district competition.
“After we got a couple matches under our belt…I was confident that we’re just as good as everyone else out here,” Renaud said.
State took place Thursday, May 15 in Springfield, MO. They did their best at state, but they came up short of making the final four. Even though they didn’t have the results they hoped for, they stuck together throughout the whole season.
“We’ve been best friends our whole life,” Foster said.
Renaud and Foster have been friends since early childhood. Their dads are close friends, and being only three months apart and going to the same school and church makes for a lasting friendship.
Foster offers a good piece of advice to those who are struggling through an injury and a sport: “Don’t make the sport your full identity…Even if I can’t play my sport, [I’m] still me.”