C.M. Russell High School offers a wide variety of sports throughout the year and many students partake in one or more during their four years here. Some students like junior Madeline Hazelip dedicate themselves to one sport only. For Hazelip, it’s tennis.

“As soon as I started playing, I just knew tennis was my sport,” she said.

She began playing tennis about three years ago in Oklahoma, and then tried out for the CMR team after she moved to Great Falls in the middle of her freshman year. Hazelip started playing because of her friends and then stuck with it.  She said she enjoys the team aspect of tennis and the competitions. Tennis acts as a stress reliever for Hazelip and it makes her feel good.

She said that one of her greatest achievements was almost making it to state last year as a sophomore.

“At regionals the first four places go to state,” she said. “We got fifth.”

Hazelip said she wants to try to make it to state this year, and she plans to continue on with the sport after high school.

“I might play in college,” she said. “But it will mostly just be for fun.”