Many strings attached to Contreras' interests

The 17-year-old Ironwood Ridge High School senior also dabbles in a little tennis.

Contreras will compete in the 20th annual Copper Bowl tennis tournament that begins today and runs through Thursday at 11 sites, including Hilton El Conquistador Resort and Tucson Racquet Club. More than 900 boys and girls will compete in the age groups of 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s. Among local players, Zaina Sufi is seeded second and Courtney Amos is No. 4 in the girls 16, and Hailey Rochin is No. 2 in the girls 14s. Oro Valley's Robert Seby is seeded second in the boys 14s.

Contreras, who is unseeded, hopes she can draw interest from colleges by playing in the tournament. She finished runner-up at the 5A-II state championships in May and won the consolation bracket of the Western States Junior Open in November. Contreras will play Courtney Dewalt from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., today in the first round of the girls 18s.

"I haven't played a lot of national tournaments as big as this one," Contreras said. "It's always good to play against really strong players because they'll improve your game dramatically."

Contreras discussed her many interests with the Star this week as she prepared to play in the Copper Bowl.

Tennis: Contreras also participated in swimming and soccer in middle school, but has focused on tennis the last four years. She trains at El Conquistador and considers Rafael Nadal her favorite player. "He's always so humble and he doesn't seem like the other players," she said. "He has positive energy and you never see him giving up."

Music: Contreras owns two guitars - an electric Ibanez and a handcrafted classical from Spain. She also enjoys listening to music from different countries and lists French rap as a favorite.

Art: Contreras paints and draws realistic art using acrylic and oil paint, and canvases litter the house.

Culture: Contreras, whose father is from Guatemala, wants to travel more and plans to study international business in college. She has been to Belize and Mexico and often eats food from other countries such as Malaysia and Ethiopia. "I really want to reconnect with the culture, and I have a lot of music from other cultures," she said.