Multiple Successes: Mackenzie Bang Conquering On and Off the Court

Mackenzie Bang does not fit the picture you get when you read her profile. The Shorewood High senior tennis-standout reads on paper like an intense overachiever, someone who measures herself against an impossible goal, never resting to enjoy one particular journey.

In person, Bang could not be further from that image. Laid-back, with striking blue eyes and a nonchalant manner of speaking, Bang looks more like the kind of of high school senior who would wait until the day after graduation to think about what to do next than one who has a myriad of options to choose from.

In reality, Bang is more like a hybrid of who she appears to be on paper and who she acts like in person. She is a fierce competitor who does not view the outcome of matches as the end of the world, a multifaceted teenager who shrugs at her accomplishments and a leader who does not like to yell. And she has become, for the Shorewood tennis program, the closest thing to a given that one can have in the sports world.

Tearing Up the Court

Ask Bang about how many league matches she has lost and she pauses for a second. Let's see, there was that one last year and maybe one as a freshman.

That's two league losses in four years, a fact that most high school tennis players would kill for. But to Bang, it's no big deal.

"She really doesn't talk about it that much," Shorewood head coach Arnie Moreno said. "She just works on her game and work match-to-match."

Perhaps her nonchalance about the lack of leagues losses has something to do with the fact that Bang has never placed at state championships. She does not assign any outside reason to this, no justifications or excuses. She was the No. 2 seed last year and simply went up against better, more experienced players. She admits that seeing the talent level of players who play year round can sometimes be frustrating, but says the payoff does not seem worth the sacrifice. 

“When I go to state, sometimes I’m hit with the feeling like ‘Oh man, I kind of wish I did this all the time,’" Bang said. "Everyone there is so good and it’s like ‘If I’m this good and I don’t play all the time, I wonder if I could be as good as them.’ But it just goes back to the fact that I want a balanced life."

Bang is at her peak right now, but still sets her state goals at a realistic place. She does not talk about winning state, although admits that would be great. Instead, she plans on a top-5 finish.

Bang has been playing tennis since she was 6, but did not begin playing competitively until eighth grade. She says her goal is not to become a state champ, but to continue to love the game.

“To me there’s no point in doing it if you don’t love it and, at least some of those (year-round players) clearly don’t like it that much," Bang said. "Tennis is a lifetime sport, so I want to still enjoy it when I’m 80 and it’s the only thing I can do for sports.”

This season, Bang has taken on the role of a leader with the WesCo-leading Shorewood tennis team. The two players directly below her in singles are both underclassmen and Thunderbirds head coach Arnie Moreno said Bang's influence has been invaluable in helping younger team members development.

"She's the typical leader, leads by example," Moreno said. "She's an organizer. She's a coach's dream, to have a player like that."

Beyond Tennis

Bang is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to elite high school tennis players. Most of the top players play year round, have private lessons, play in national tournaments. Elaine Baik, a senior at Kamiak, took two years off high school competition to play in USTA national tournaments.

Bang, on the other hand, does not even play the majority of the year. Fall is for soccer, summer for work. Bang often goes six months without playing competitively. That fact puts her at a competitive disadvantage against year-round players, but that's not enough of a reason for Bang to switch up her yearly schedule. The most important thing is having fun.

“Tennis is different from any other sport…there’s so many kids that just play tennis," Bang said. "The thing that I’ve always had fun doing is doing a ton of different things, like orchestra and playing soccer and swimming and just having a life.”

That life appears to be a diverse one. In addition to tennis, Bang plays soccer for Shorewood, swims for a private team, teaches tennis at Harbor Square Athletic Club and is the Concert Master for the Shorewood Orchestra, which spent spring break in New York playing at Carnegie Hall. Her participation in the orchestra requires her to attend a "zero period" class that begins an hour before the official start of school. That's a hefty schedule for a high school student, but Bang sees it all as part of her balanced life, one that includes doing everything to the best of her abilities and never taking it too seriously.

"I just want to be the best that I can be at everything," Bang said. "That's why I do a lot of things...I just don't think it's a big deal, because so many other people do everything. There's obviously a lot of people that are better than me that I everything I do."

Next Level

Bang is probably talented enough to play tennis at the collegiate level. So, naturally, she is leaning towards attending a school that does not have a tennis team and is looking forward to running cross-country when she heads to college next year.

“It’s not as much of a comaraderie as high school sports and I think some time off might be nice," Bang said of the planned break from tennis. "Not that I’m burned out with it all, but I’m taking time off from violin. I think freshman year might be not nice to have it.”

She has not yet officially decided on her college choice, but is leaning towards Seattle Pacific University (she was accepted to all five colleges she applied to and received scholarship offers from four). True to her character, she is looking at different options for life in and after college, ranging from a career in sports medicine to being a kindergarten teacher. Tennis and violin will take a break and what she picks up next is an open option.

Judging by what she's done so far in life, chances are Bang will be nonchalant about it all—and successful.