There are over 30 sports available for students to participate in at Auckland Grammar School. While some are quite traditional - Rugby, Basketball, Squash, Baseball, Water Polo - there are others that are quite unusual, such as Disc Ultimate, where teams play an extreme form of frisbee.

Tennis is one such sport that is very dear to Adam King '85. Arriving at Grammar from Hutt Valley High School, Adam was only here for Form 5 in 1987 where he was selected for the National Junior Tennis Squad. Grammar was a bit of a shock to the system.

"I commuted from St Heliers every day to attend Auckland Grammar. Coming from Hutt Valley High School which was a co-education school with less structure and no streaming, Grammar was a wake-up call for sure. Wearing garters, shirts tucked in and using 'Sir' to address teachers, also being called by your last name."

Training at the Stanley Street Tennis Centre (now called the ASB Tennis Arena) every day, Adam represented New Zealand in the 15- and 16-years age categories. With a move back to Lower Hutt to finish his secondary schooling, Adam was awarded a Tennis scholarship to Texas A&M University in 1990. He has been teaching tennis professionally for over 30 years and has represented New Zealand at events in Hong Kong, Australia and Turkey.

Adam is now the owner of the King's Court Tennis Academy based in Cypress, Texas. With 15 tennis courts, the academy offers lessons for kids, holiday camps, private lessons and training for high school students.



While Adam was only at Auckland Grammar for one year of high school, he has always considered Grammar to be the best school in Australasia and he is proud to be called a Grammar Old Boy. "I remember daily speeches from Headmaster [the late] Sir John Graham, and famous people coming to speak to us including [former cricketer] Martin Crowe and [former All Black] David Kirk."

Being at Auckland Grammar taught Adam discipline and structure and the mantra "no pain, no gain" is something that he applies to both his sporting and business lives. "Repetition, boredom and hard work are all things one must go through to become successful. Make sure you take personal responsibility for your own actions and avoid placing blame on others."