It has been a year of accomplishments for 13-year-old Claire Minnoe.

Minnoe made the Auburn High School varsity tennis team on her first attempt as a seventh grader.

“Not many athletes make it to varsity that soon,” Minnoe said. “I was the only seventh grader on the tennis team, that felt good though.”

Minnoe not only made the team, but she played her way into the No. 1 singles spot.

“It was really nice to make it to the first spot in my first year,” Minnoe said.

She placed third in the Section III tournament and in turn, earned a place in the state qualifiers.

Taking that experience and success past the high school season, Minnoe is a member of the United States Tennis Association which enables her to play in tournaments along the east coast.

“You pay to become a member, then there are designated tournaments throughout the east that you can enter,” Minnoe said. “Everything is done on a ranking system in the USTA depending on how you do at these tournaments.”

Minnoe competes in the 14-year-old age group where she has competed in four tournaments this summer. She won two and was runner-up in the other two.

“The USTA starts at level three,” said Claire's father, Scott Minnoe. “Claire was competing at a level one, which is a very high level. It is a major accomplishment for her to not only play that level but to win there and get in runner-up position.”

When Claire was in the 12-year-old age group, she ranked in at 42 out of a possible 1,000 competitors. Now that she has been playing in the 14-year-old group, she has already ranked in the top 40.

“She has moved up really quickly,” Scott said. “By playing in the high level tournaments and doing as well as she has, she moves up in the rankings fast. There are about 1,000 competitors that she is up against from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in this age group from the eastern division. She is doing very well.”

Claire has played tournaments this summer in Auburn at Champions For Life where she made the finals and was the runner-up. She played at the University of Rochester where she won the tournament. She also won a tournament at Sedgwick Farms in Syracuse and made the finals of a tournament in Glens Falls.

“I really like traveling for the different tournaments,” Claire said. “I especially like meeting new people in different places and seeing other styles of play.”

She insists these tournament wins have been her biggest accomplishments in the sport that she has played for five years, since her parents inspired her interest in the game.

“My parents have played their entire lives,” Claire said. “I went out hitting with my dad, then I took lessons and really liked it so I decided to play seriously. Now I am coached by Mario Silva at the East Side Racquet Club in Manlius and I practice six to seven days a week.”

Silva has taught Minnoe proper stroke techniques and how to compete at a high level in order to reach her goals.

“My first goal would be to make it to the New York State high school singles championship,” Minnoe said. “Then I would like to play tennis at a high level in college. My ultimate goal though is to play at the U.S. Open. I just try my best and work hard to see how well I can do.”

Being the only seventh grader on the Auburn varsity team does change the individuality of the sport somewhat for Minnoe.

“Tennis is not really a team sport,” Minnoe said. “High school tennis makes it one though. I love the camaraderie of the team and I really like my teammates.”