Meet Team Inspiration -- Mount Rainier Builds Tennis Dynasty Within

Despite their 76-match Seamount League win streak, players on the Mount Rainier High School tennis team don't have to look far for competition.

Healthy rivalries among themselves have helped the Rams build their dynasty. If Lara Botts blanks her opponent on the tennis court, for instance, Vaughn Emerson figures he'd better do the same - or take some good-natured kidding from his teammate.

"Last year, we had competition between the girls and the boys to see who could lose the least number of games," said Botts, who placed fourth in singles in the Class AA state girls tournament as a freshman last season. "The girls added up the games they lost and compared it to the guys. When you try not to lose games, you end up not losing matches."

Emerson, the Rams' top-seeded boy, says the competition among the players makes the team better.

"That really helps," said Emerson, who teamed with Randy McAlpin to finish seventh at state in boys doubles. "We have by far the best girls in the league, which really pushes the guys' side, which isn't as good. That really makes the team stronger."

Several other factors have contributed to the Des Moines high school's success. Botts, who said she plans to shoot for the singles title this spring, mentions the family ties, including the Buchanan family that has fed the program the past several years.

"We have a lot of big families," she said. "A lot of the families are so big and they're so tennis oriented. One year, one of the family members graduates and the next year another one comes in with a lot of talent. You kind of get these things going between the families and the whole team. We're always fighting to see who's better."

Emerson's younger sister Jenny, a junior, is No. 2 in girls singles and older-brother Geoff was one of the team's best players in 1991.

"There's a lot of talent there," Vaughn Emerson said, "a lot of good players who just want to continue winning."

Coach Tim Lee says there's no substitute for talent. But most of the Rams are not year-round tennis players. Many are cultivated within the program.

"We always seem to pull in pretty talented freshmen to go along with the kids we can develop," Lee said. "We have a nice mix of young kids who have developed within their clubs and others who have developed their skills in our program."

Even those who do not play year-round know it takes some off-season work to make the team at Mount Rainier.

"They've got to take it fairly seriously if they want to play," Lee said. "We get very few junior-varsity players coming to us with no experience."

Lee, who considers himself a recreational tennis player, became involved with the Mount Rainier program almost by accident eight seasons ago.

"I just happened to walk in the cafeteria and the athletic director asked me if I knew anything about tennis," he said. "It paid to go to the cafeteria that day."

Lee, also the Rams' head girls basketball coach, was the assistant tennis coach that first season, then took over the program the following year in 1987. The Rams had a 9-1 record in Lee's first season, sharing the Seamount title with Enumclaw. They lost to Enumclaw at midseason and haven't lost a regular-season Seamount League match since.

Lee said he didn't start counting the league victories until the Seamount was revamped in 1989 to include six former Class AAA schools.

"There was a little bit of pride involved, when some people thought the triple-A schools were going to be better than us," he said. "There'd been this idea that we didn't play very good competition. When those triple-A teams came in, that's when the streak started getting a little more meaningful."

Although Mount Rainier lost three years ago to Lindbergh (one of the Class AAA transplants) in the semifinals of the Seamount League tournament, it has continued the regular-season streak.

Lee expects the Rams' biggest challenge this season to come tomorrow against Lindbergh of Renton. Both teams are unbeaten.

"That will be a real good challenge for us," he said. "That will give us a real good idea of where we stand in the league, and our top priority has always been to win the league. Then our individual goals go beyond that."

Mount Rainier has won or shared six Seamount titles in Lee's seven seasons. The Rams shared the state boys championship with Mark Morris High School in 1989, when Joe Mikel and Jeff Wiltse captured the doubles crown.

---------------------------------------. PLAYERS TO WATCH.

Seamount League tennis players to watch this season: . BOYS. . Adrian Buchan, Mt. Rainier. Sean Blumhoff, Kennedy. Geoff Emerson, Mt. Rainier. Marc Hirai, Renton. Tom Hope, Liberty. Hannu Jaatinen, Highline. Ivan Kaplan, Mt. Si. Roger Lee, Lindbergh. Richard Lo, Lindbergh. Randy McAlpin, Mt. Rainier. Tom Miskimin, Mt. Si. Gary Wong, Renton. . . GIRLS. . Michelle Baker, Hazen. Lara Botts, Mt. Rainier. Jenny Emerson, Mt. Rainier. Karen Fitzgerald, Lindbergh. Amy Low, Highline. Misty Schmidt, Liberty. Becky Snellman, Tyee. Molly Teggeman, Mt. Si. Erin Weller, Lindbergh. Jean Yi, Kennedy.