The Bolwarra 16-year-old is one of nine Hunter tennis players to represent the region at the NSW Combined High School Tennis Championship in Gosford, starting today.

The three-day tournament will see Dorn’s Hunter team meet teams from across the State in a pool system, consisting of singles and doubles matches.

It is the fourth consecutive year Dorn has qualified in the Hunter team, which will look to go one better than last year when it narrowly missed out on the gold medal.

“We came runner-up by the narrowest margin last year,” she said.

“Hopefully we will make it gold this year.”

After six years of training Dorn said she is still only warming up, and certainly can not envisage the day she puts down the racquet.

“I think I will play as long as I can, just to see where it gets me,” Dorn said.

“I have a national ranking at the moment, but I’m not really sure what it is.

“I train about three times a week at the moment and I still really enjoy it. But I really love competing.”

When she gets time away from school, Dorn takes part in a nationwide women’s point-score tournament and maintains the mature competitors only add to her experience.

“It’s fun to play people older than you. You learn a lot and it tests you,” she said.

Like so many members of Australia’s Beijing Olympic audience, Dorn said she did not see enough of her elite tennis idols playing for gold.

“I watch as much tennis on TV as I can. And I watched the Olympics but there wasn’t a lot of it on for some reason,” she said.

The Year 11 Maitland High School student does not confine her talents to the court. Dorn will be inducted as Maitland High School captain for 2009 before the end of the year.