Athlete Spotlight
Hometown
Bremerton, Wash. |
High
School
Olympic |
Year
Senior |
Major
Marketing |
Erika Feltus ranks among the
best singles players in the Northwest Conference. A two-time first
team all-conference selection, Erika has been in the Lutes' No.
1 singles and doubles spots for almost all of her sophomore, junior
and senior seasons, and brings veteran leadership to a young PLU
squad.
Describe
your family. How have they helped you in your athletic career?
My parents got divorced when I was two and
my mom got remarried when I was six so I’ve had three parents
since before I can remember. All three of them are very supportive.
My mom and stepdad enrolled me in sports as soon as they could.
Since then they’ve all come to every match or game that
they could. My mom and stepdad both play tennis and wanted me
to start playing at a young age; it took me awhile to give in.
So I guess it’s because of them that I even play tennis.
My dad is our team’s shadow ever since my freshman year.
He has made sure to be at every match, even going to California
for our Spring Breaks. My parents and my dad are definitely a
huge support to me and a big reason for why I have accomplished
what I have so far in tennis.
What factors led to your
decision to attend PLU?
I’m from Bremerton, which
is about an hour northwest of Tacoma. I really wanted to stay
close to home yet be far enough away. I also didn’t have
any desire to play for a bigger school and get lost in the crowd.
The Northwest Conference is competitive to the point where I feel
that I’m still able to improve my tennis game which is important
to me. Plus, I had some good friends who were going to PLU and
I knew of a couple of girls who were going to play tennis that
I had played against in tournaments previously.
Have
you had any trouble balancing athletics with academics?
By my junior and senior years I think it
all came together. College academics are challenging and it definitely
took awhile to get use to playing a sport and trying to do my
homework. In the end it has helped me to be a lot more organized.
What are your plans after
college?
I wish I had a definite plan but it’s
hard for me to see that far in the future. I’ve been thinking
about going abroad and doing an internship because I’m not
sure I’m ready for a steady job right away.
When your athletic career
is all said and done, what is it that you would want people to
say about you?
I’d like people to remember me as
a good player and I’d also like for them to remember me
as a respectful player as well.
What is your favorite restaurant
in Tacoma?
It definitely depends on the meal. Many
of the places I like to eat are in Northern Tacoma. For breakfast,
Hob Nob is really good, MSM (Magical Sandwich Makers) for lunch,
and if I could afford it Melting Pot for dinner.
What music is playing in
your iPod right now?
My favorites would be either Rogue Wave
or Travis.
