Mark Barton is taking his tennis talents south of the border in the fall.<\/p>\n
Published Jul 18, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 36\u00a0minutes ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 2 minute read<\/p>\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0719-sf-barton.sf_.jpg\")
Stratford District secondary school graduate Mark Barton will take his tennis talents to Minnesota’s Bethany Lutheran College in the fall. (Cory Smith\/Beacon Herald)Article content<\/p>\n
Mark Barton is taking his tennis talents south of the border in the fall.<\/p>\n
Advertisement 2<\/p>\n
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old Stratford District secondary school grad will compete for the Bethany Luther College Vikings while studying kinesiology.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m super excited for it,\u201d he said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting it because I just started playing tournaments and got a rating.\u201d<\/p>\n
His path to get there was an unlikely one.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy tennis journey has been shaped by hard work, discipline and a constant drive to improve,\u201d he wrote on a recruiting site. \u201cI\u2019ve competed in provincial tournaments and at OFSAA for the past three years, achieving consistent success, but I know there\u2019s always more to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barton\u2019s first time on the court came eight years ago, when he was in Grade 4 and won a Stratford Tennis Club membership as part of its Optimist Junior Tennis Day.<\/p>\n
Advertisement 3<\/p>\n
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
It was one-and-done for Barton, and he stepped away from the game. He didn\u2019t play again until Grade 10, when he joined the high school team.<\/p>\n
He \u201cfell in love with it.\u201d The atmosphere, the challenges and the struggles all felt right.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t blame anybody else,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s all you out there and it\u2019s such a tough mental sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t nearly as good back in Grade 10. I had a backhand, no forehand, good serve, but I kept working on it, and every year I just got better. I love playing at the Stratford Tennis Club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schools took notice after Barton, upon creating an online rating profile, stepped up his Ontario Tennis Association U18 tournament schedule last summer and fall. He picked the Minnesota-based NCAA Division 3 school that had two men\u2019s players receive conference recognition following the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n
Advertisement 4<\/p>\n
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n
Article content<\/p>\n
\u201cI just made (the profile) for fun, and all of a sudden I got all these offers,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty cool and wasn\u2019t expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good competition. I wasn\u2019t expecting to do that well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barton\u2019s game has taken off in the last three years. He still possesses a pinpoint backhand, strong serve and a soft touch at the net. His forehand is coming around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still working on it, but it\u2019s better,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not as much of a weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n
The results remain impressive.<\/p>\n
He made it to the provincial high school championships this spring with doubles partner Liam Benton and won a men\u2019s \u2018A\u2019 singles title last weekend at the tennis club, where he works as its pro. Barton wants others to have the same passion for the game as he does.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m out here every day. It\u2019s just been like that the last three summers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barton\u2019s collegiate goal is to refine his game and \u201cdo well at individual tournaments.\u201d If he does that, maybe win a conference award as the top rookie.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s not only willing to put in the work, but he\u2019s embracing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cTennis is almost impossible to perfect,\u201d Barton said. \u201cThere\u2019s always something to work on and tweak and get better at, and that\u2019s what I love about it. Spend endless hours and still have something to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n