Family's Moves Don't Shake Tennis Star Chadwell

Technically speaking, Burlingame High’s boys tennis team doesn’t actually have a captain.

But although Riley Chadwell doesn’t wear a “C” on his jersey, his level-headed demeanor, resilience and steady game made him in a natural fit for a leadership role.

And these days, it’s simply understood to be his.

“Without the title, he does the job” of the captain, Burlingame coach Bill Smith said. “Riley has assumed that role, as it should be.”

Chadwell has excelled in that role.

He went 17-2 this year and is 36-2 in a two-year career as a singles player at Burlingame since transferring from out of state before his junior year – a move precipitated by the turbulence of the Great Recession.

Chadwell finished tied for third in the Peninsula Athletic League with teammate Allan Verkhovski. (Chadwell and Verkhovski were scheduled to play for the third-place title in the league’s individual tournament on Friday, but because the match had no wider implications for other players, Smith elected to call the match a draw.)

Both players are hoping for an at-large berth to the Central Coast Section individual championships, which will be held on May 24 and 26 at Imperial Courts in Aptos. They won’t know their fate until a May 19 seeding meeting.

Chadwell and Verkhovski competed in CCS last season as doubles partners.

“I’m hoping I get to go, it’s a good experience,” Chadwell said. “You get to play against a lot of players you don’t get to see during the season, so it would be fun.”

Chadwell will likely see a lot of them anyway though.

He competes on the USTA circuit and was ranked as high as 75^th earlier this year in the 18-and-under division in the Northern California region.

He plans on playing club tennis at a four-year school. He’s still undecided, but has narrowed his choices to Syracuse and Arizona State.

Chadwell’s family moved to San Mateo County after his sophomore year, after his father, Greg, was laid off from his job at a downtown Chicago advertising agency. Chadwell’s family moved in with grandmother Joan Riggs, who lives in Hillsborough. Greg Chadwell eventually found work at a San Jose advertising agency.

The move to California was his third in three years. Chadwell, who was raised in suburban Chicago, moved to Northern Michigan, attending Trevor City Central High.

Chadwell made the state playoffs in Michigan and Illinois playing doubles at TCCH and at Francis W. Parker (Chicago).

His older sister, Erin, plays collegiate tennis at Division III Denison (Ohio).  

Chadwell says he’s loosely patterned his game after Andre Agassi, playing mistake-free tennis from the back of the court and forcing opponents into mistakes.

He’s shown a propensity to size up opponents and make adjustments, enabling him to rally from deficits, and compete against players with greater physical ability, Smith said.

“In some instances where the flow has gone the other way, he’s gone with it, breathed in, breathed out, and realized that he’s either doing something or not doing something, and made a change,” Smith said.

“That’s pretty rare.”

Chadwell’s teammates have by all accounts taken to his leadership.

“Kids like him,” Smith said. “When you come to Burlingame from a place as disparate as Chicago, we can eat you up, but he’s a kid who’s not only liked by his teammates, he’s engaged the rest of his student body.

“He’s become Panther in a very short period of time.”

And although intensely competitive, Chadwell has brought a sense of civility and decency that’s impressed opponents, too.

“He’s a very good player, but he’s an even better kid,” Smith said. “I’m constantly getting compliments form other coaches and opposing players about what a good-natured kid he is and what a fair competitor he is.

“That speaks volumes about the kind of guy he is.”

Chadwell admits one of the hardest parts of moving around so much is not being able to keep up friendships.

But an easy demeanor has enabled him to transition from a blue-collar Michigan public school to an elite Chicago private school, to the uniquely socioeconomically diverse Burlingame campus.

And a rugged persona has helped him, and his family, get through some tough times.

“Family is an important part of it, and as long as you’re strong and keep together and stay positive, you can get through a lot of things, that’s what I’ve learned,” Chadwell said.

“You just kind of have to focus on the positives, keep your head in the game and focus on your goals.”