Emily Hangstefer of Signal Mountain comes from a family of talented tennis players who never played for high school teams.

Like the new University of Tennessee at Chattanooga signee, Hangstefer’s five siblings were home-schooled and went on to play college tennis — most for NCAA Division I programs.

For the Hangstefers and many other families, the sport and home schooling has been a perfect fit. The individual nature of the sport and a flexible schedule led Pat and John Hangstefer’s kids to choose tennis over other sports while growing up.

“We started at first mainly because of the flexibility, and it allowed us to be together as a family,” Pat said. “It also let us teach them what we believe as Christians: The Bible is the foundation for everything. Tennis fit into that too, and it’s a sport they can play all their lives.”

Daniel Hangstefer plays for Lipscomb University. Eldest brother Jim played for Chattanooga State, and Katie, John and Michael played for UTC. Katie recently became head women’s coach at Wofford. Each of the brothers and sisters regularly played in USTA junior tournaments and worked with McCallie tennis coach Eric Voges.

The Hangstefers’ cousin, recent McCallie School graduate David Henry, was home-schooled through eighth grade. He grew up with five sisters who were home-schooled, and his parents felt he needed another environment.

Henry had been working with Voges since he was 9 years old, making the transition to McCallie easier. He completed his high school tennis career in May with a third consecutive TSSAA Division II-AA state tennis team championship with the Blue Tornado and will play for the University of Memphis on scholarship this fall. He was a state finalist in the individual tournament.

“I was kind of a slacker and wanted to avoid school as much as possible,” Henry said. “But McCallie made me manage my time a lot better. Just being around (Voges) more has helped me improve more, and I wanted to play on a team. It’s a more fun atmosphere than at USTA.”

Sixteen-year-old Richard Gamble of Harrison has always been home-schooled and regularly plays in USTA junior tournaments but feels he misses out on the high school team aspect. To fill that void, he practices periodically with the Lee University squad, allowed by NAIA rules.

His mom, Missy, decided on home schooling for her only child after seeing the benefits from her sister’s work with her kids. Richard is coached by his dad, Bob Gamble.

“I used to be on a baseball team when I played, but for tennis, if you’re not on a school team, you can’t be on one,” Gamble said. “I’d love to be on one, though. I think it could be really fun, and practice at Lee helps me a little with the team aspect.”

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