July 28, 2007

Choctaw player of the year

Against all odds, a 23 year old Choctaw Indian, Benjamin Talako Williamson is making tennis historyHe is currently ranked number one in Men’s Open Singles Standing List in the five-state USTA Missouri Valley Region and was Nationally ranked last year in the top 100 tennis players in the US. Ben studied the moves of the pros and learned to play tennis by watching video tapes of the US Open since none of his family played tennis.

Benjamin Talako Williamson, a 23 year-old Native American Indian born with Autism, defied the odds when he graduated from Bethany High School and where he was the only tennis player on their team, took Bethany to the State High School Championships. Bethany High School had never participated with a tennis team until Ben came along. Placing in the finals in the state each of his four high school years and then going undefeated at the Oklahoma All State Tennis Competition were just the beginning for Benjamin. December, 2006, Benjamin was honored by the United States Tennis Association Five State Missouri Valley Section (Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma) as the Adult Player of the Year. Ben was also honored two years as the Oklahoma Adult Player of the year.

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