When PSU Men's Tennis Player Ian Risenhoover was in grade school, he made a potentially devastating discovery.

On a family trip to Seattle, he got sick.  His parents had no idea what the problem was and they took him to the hospital when they got back.    There, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, which means his pancreas had quit producing insulin, the substance which allows your body to metabolize and use sugar.

It was a big deal, but he was pretty young (age seven) and doesn't really remember the diagnosis' emotional effect.

“The thing that stands out is that I couldn't drink sodas.  I remember that.  Mom didn't want us to drink diet sodas because of the chemicals, and suddenly that's all I can drink … still (mom was right), it's probably not the best,” said the Viking freshman.

The other thing he remembers is the trip to the hospital.

“Dad promised me I wouldn't have to have a shot, (getting shots scared me).  Since then, it's been shots four times daily (insulin) and finger pokes (to test blood sugar levels),” he said.

And, with that diagnosis, his three year old soccer career came to a screeching halt because exercise lowered his blood sugar to potentially dangerous levels and he could be in danger of passing out or even dying.

At that point, a lot of children are told by fearful parents they can't play sports.  The downside of having a child's blood sugar take a sudden drop while out somewhere with friends playing a sport is just too frightening.

“It starts at a young age.  Diabetics are told they can't do things by parents worried about their care.  If its team sports, you're turning your kid over to a bunch of people you don't know and who usually don't know how to manage a kid with Type 1 diabetes.  Many parents are very controlling … that's not a bad thing, but kids lose out on a lot of opportunities … like team sports,” said PSU Head Tennis Coach Jay Sterling.

And Sterling should know.  Although it developed a little later, he also is a Type 1 diabetic.

After soccer stopped, Risenhoover started looking around for a sport he could do.  His dad, Rick, had played tennis and basketball in high school and college (ultimately dropping tennis in favor of basketball—a mistake, he believes today), so he guided him toward tennis as a leisure activity he could engage in all his life.

“I originally took it up just to stay active,” he recalled.   “At the beginning I didn't know really how to control the problem.  I didn't think much about it.  My only fear was the blood sugar dropping and I wasn't taking it too seriously.  Although, when it's low it feels like you have weights hanging on every part of your body.” 

Risenhoover began hitting the ball around with his dad and younger brother Russell at the Mountain Park Racket Club ... and playing there proved serendipitous later, because it was also where Sterling played.

He didn't start playing competitively until just before high school.

“Dad wanted me to develop the right technique, so I didn't play my first northwest tournament until I was 12.  I thank Dad for not pushing too hard because a lot of kids who start playing competitively really young burn out by the time they're juniors or seniors in high school and quit the sport,” said Risenhoover.

Following his freshman year at West Linn High School, he played mostly #1 singles and, as a senior, doubles with his brother Russell, a freshman.  The pair won district and took third in state.  During this time, he was ranked as a singles player among the top 30 in the northwest in the Champs Division.

But, known as a friendly, happy typical teenager in high school, he developed a reputation for being moody and angry as a tennis player, the result of the opposite of low blood sugar.  Adrenalin and stress cause an increase in blood sugar.

“If your blood sugar is too low or two high, it's impossible to perform.  It's another opponent.  It takes a lot of concentration to manage diabetes, equal to the concentration you put in to be fit and practice your sport. That's why you can count the athletes with Type 1diabetes playing at an elite level in sports on one hand,” said Sterling.

With high blood sugar, “you can't focus and emotionally and you anger easily,” Risenhoover said.  He was forced to walk off the court a few times, defaulting, because of blood sugar control issues, causing even more frustration.   “You get moody, get angry.  As a junior I had a reputation for being angry on the court.  It was devastating.”    

Growing up, Risenhoover idolized swimmer Gary Hill and Trail Blazer Center Chris Dudley.  While dealing with Type 1 diabetes, both had reached high levels in their sport.  Chris' dad called Dudley who agreed to meet with them.

They met in a coffee shop and “he spent a lot of time giving me support, telling me how he managed his diabetes … one big thing was eating two hours before a match, then keeping close tabs on your blood sugar level every chance you have and, of course, staying hydrated.  Talking to Chris really motivated me.  I'd had a lot of ups and downs over the years and he really brought me up.  I thought, 'if he can do this, and play at this level, then I can figure it out'.”

During this time, Sterling had been watching Risenhoover play and recognized the signals of a Type 1 diabetic.

“He had anger issues and a lot of people shied away from him. But, I knew that his anger issues weren't anger issues, they were diabetic issues.  He had high blood sugar and that's just about good blood sugar management,” Sterling said.

By this time, Risenhoover was among the top ranked players in the state.  Sterling watched him play for three years.  “He was strong, fit and fast.  I saw a lot of potential.  He's physically built to play the sport.  He has a big serve, good volley, good ground strokes and plays with speed and strength.”

Since he didn't think playing college tennis was possible, Risenhoover didn't pay much attention to the interest he got from college level coaches.

“Other college coaches talked to us, but never indicated that they had a clue about dealing with this.  Jay (who began talking with Risenhoover's dad and didn't even mention his own type-1 connection) was the first coach who seemed to understand.  When he found out that Jay also had the disease, Ian knew he had found a place.  Having Jay has made it very comfortable for me.  He's a compassionate, caring person who also knows this disease,” said Rick Risenhoover.

Sterling said he knew he could help.  “I knew I could help him through personal experience.  I saw someone who could grow into an amazing tennis player.  We have a unique bond because of the diabetes and I knew if he could overcome that obstacle, he could grow into an amazing tennis player.”

An optimistic person, Risenhoover thinks having the disease has also made him more compassionate.

“I see people with serious conditions, like cancer, and I know those kids would trade with me in half a second.  That makes me fight harder.  I can do things and that thought has gotten me to where I am now.  I keep remembering things could be much worse.”

He graduated from high school with a B average … and the disease can make taking tests dodgy because if your blood sugar spikes you can't concentrate.

He'd like to be an example to younger people with the disease (“Hey, if I can do this, then you can, too”) and his endocrinologist has suggested he might work with younger diabetics next summer.

 “All this has made me thankful and hopeful … the losses, walking off the court … you experience a lot of negatives.   There are so many opportunities to quit.  My family has always been behind me (his mother,

Rochelle, used to get up around 1 a.m. each night to check his blood sugar readings).  I've always believed that if I quit, I'd regret it.  At the end of the day, it's worth it,” Rosenhoover said.