Whiz Kid: Christina Jordan Lights up the Court

Each week, West Bloomfield Patch features students doing amazing things in their schools and in their communities. 

Christina Jordan

• Age: 13
• School: 
• Achievement: In December, Christina — who's been in love with the sport of tennis since she saw it on television at age 4 — made a big leap into the state and national tennis-playing spotlight with her performance in the the girls 18-year-old Midwest Winter Championships in Grand Blanc, MI. Christina reached the finals, falling valiantly in two sets to nationally ranked and No. 1 seed Brooke Austin of Indiana.
  
  To most of us, a 13-year-old going toe-to-toe on the court with talented adults is a special achievement. To Christina, however, it was simple fun. "I know (Brooke), and I just think I can beat anyone. I have a lot of confidence. So, I just thought that I’m going to go out there and compete and see what happens," she said with a smile.
  
  Who knows where that kind of thick skin comes from? It could come from rigorous training. She travels to New York frequently to train with tennis heroes Billie Jean King and John McEnroe, and the significance of those names aren't lost on the youngster. "I'm a huge tennis fan, and I get really excited, because I think there’s another opportunity for me to learn as much as I can. There’s a little bit of nervousness, because I want to do as best as I can," she said.
  
  It could come from her parents, Anisha and Chris Jordan, who live in West Bloomfield. Christina said her mother is "like her second coach" who works hard to not only provide for her and her two younger brothers, Christopher and Christian, but also to help out on the court. Her father is more of a nutrition guru, Christina said, who helps keep her disciplined and healthy at home and on the court. 
  
  Wherever is comes from, Christina is headed for big things. She has her eyes set for college at Stanford or the University of Michigan upon graduating from high school (she's trying to decide between three area schools now) and of course, middle school graduation this spring. She'd like to be a heart surgeon or a pediatrician when she gets older, she said, in order to get the best use out of her amazing hand-eye coordination that comes from the court. 

• Key to awesomeness: Despite Christina's success, she doesn't need to practice often. Her mom said that thanks in part to Christina's strong sense of discipline — "this is one girl who never needs to be told to do her homework" — and the time she devotes to competition, she doesn't need to practice at more than 10 hours every week. That allows more time to study her favorite subject, science.
  
  "She learns so much in such a short period of time. When she goes to these big tournaments, she’ll compete in two matches, and that’s maybe four-five hours per day against great competition, on the court, grinding it out," Anisha said.

Do you know our next Whiz Kid?

West Bloomfield Patch welcomes suggestions for students, youth groups and even sports teams who wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to editor Tim.Rath@patch.com. Please include all these details:

• Nominator's name
• Whiz Kid's name and age
• Whiz Kid's school
• Whiz Kid's accomplishment
• What makes him or her successful