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Palmer Trinity School rising junior Matias Lara is the top seed on the school tennis team, and he also plays in tournaments outside of school. In April, he was ranked 308 in Florida out of 2000 ranked players. In the Miami region, he’s ranked 105.
He made it to the semi-finals of the district playoff in both singles and doubles in the number one spot for Palmer.
“I’ve been playing tennis since I was eight or nine years old,” he says. “Before tennis I played soccer until I was nine. And then I started tennis.”
His father told him that he needed to choose one sport to excel at.
“He told that to me and my brothers,” he says. “My brothers chose soccer. They are both younger. Seventh and eighth grade.”
He still enjoys watching soccer and playing the sport with his friends, but tennis is now his game.
Lara participates in tournaments on the weekend. Most of the tournaments are in Florida, although he does enter some international tournaments. His game is strong enough that he’s won some of the tournaments he’s entered.
“This summer I will be playing international tournaments in many countries outside the U.S.,” he says.
He competes in the Boys 16 and Under category but will soon be moving up to the 18 and under which gains him additional points.
He played on the Palmer middle school tennis team and joined the varsity team in ninth grade.
His ambition is to play tennis in college. He attended a college showcase last fall and was able to talk to and meet many college coaches.
“I went with my friend who was a junior,” he says. “I would talk with the coach. I wasn’t talking to him about scholarships but to get a feel of the college so next year if I go again, I have a feel for what it’s like. I would like to be a Division I tennis player. D III would be a good option.”
He says he is using tennis as a tool to get into a good academic college, along with good grades.
Lara wants to be an engineer. Possibly a mechanical engineer.
“Something that has to do with building and designing,” he says.
He has a passion for roller coasters and would love to have a job working with a roller coaster team.
At Palmer, Lara is a member of the Coding Club at school. He’s also taking Advanced Placement Computer Science.
“We try to build projects like making an email generator,” he says.
While his time is limited because of his tennis commitments, he has organized a fundraiser, a pickleball tournament for a community service organization called Smash for Smiles.
“I raised money for a tennis school in Argentina in Escuelita De Tenis Villa 31 neighborhood,” he says. “Pretty much underprivileged kids are able to play for free, and the kids are able to go to school instead of being on the streets.”
“We raised $2,200 dollars,” he says. “The tournament was in January 2025. I do plan on making it an annual event.”
He hopes to expand the event next year.
Lara also competes in a Spanish language event at the FSSC Conference. This year he presented a poem and an impromptu speech where he was awarded a “Sobresaliente” or a perfect score, earning 40/40 in both competitions.
For fun, Lara plays guitar. He played guitar through middle school at Palmer but had to stop freshman year to complete his electives. He plans to go back to playing at school his junior and senior years.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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