Whack! ... Whack! ... Whack!

The punishing forehand echoed throughout the Bradford tennis facility.

Moving effortlessly on the court, Kim Jozefiak looks like any other high school tennis player.

Upon closer inspection, though, it is clear that the engaging Bradford senior is far from ordinary.

“I am an above-elbow amputee,” Jozefiak said, matter-of-factly, about her left arm. “It’s called congenital limb deficiency. That’s the extent of my knowledge on that.

“A lot of people ask me what happened to my arm. I just say I was born that way. There’s nothing interesting. There’s no great story.”

Her opponents on the opposite side of the net would disagree.

A 14-6 record

In her fourth season in the Bradford program, the two-year varsity performer serves as a co-captain along with fellow senior Paige Pfarr. Competing primarily at No. 3 singles, Jozefiak heads into today’s Southeast Conference Tournament with an overall record of 14-6, including 6-1 in SEC play.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” Bradford coach Kevin Guttormsen said. “You can’t imagine how hard this is for her to do and be able to compete at this level.”

Took to the game quickly

The daughter of Cary and Lori Jozefiak first picked up a racket when she was “7 or 8 years old” and took to the game right away.

“We were looking for a sport for her to get involved in,” Cary Jozefiak said. “I think it’s important for kids to have some sort of activity.

“One of the things that we started with her when she was really little was that she couldn’t say, ‘I can’t.’ We told her, ‘You might have to do things differently than other people, but you’ll find a way to do it.’ ”

She figured out how to tie her shoes.

She figured out how to do her hair.

She figured out how to be competitive on the tennis court.

When she entered high school, Jozefiak was given a directive by her parents.

“They said I had to play a sport,” she said. “Tennis seemed like the way to go. I used to take lessons and go to camps over the summer. I just decided to go out for the team because I liked it.

“I think when I started getting good and learning how to play was when I joined the team. You learn more techniques and how to play the game.”

While her forehand is the strength of her game, her weakened backhand requires some unorthodox maneuvering on the court.

“We’ve spent a lot of time working on stepping around the ball and hitting it with her forehand,” Guttormsen said. “To take advantage of her, you want to get the ball to her backhand. She does a tremendous job getting around the ball.

“She kind of takes over the court when she can do that. Then, three-quarters of the court becomes just about her forehand. It’s really to her advantage when she gets to that point.”

As far as serving, Jozefiak tosses the ball in the air with her hitting arm while holding her racket. She used to balance the ball on her racket and toss it up that way, but she found that she had more control by tossing it up with her hand.

“I’ve tried it,” Guttormsen said. “I can’t comprehend how you can do it. She almost never double faults.”

Talk to anyone who has met Jozefiak and they will almost immediately comment on her upbeat attitude and pleasant demeanor.

“Woe is me” is not a part of her vocabulary.

“Definitely not,” she said. “I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. I guess it’s just my personality and how I was raised.”

Still, she can sense when an opponent assumes that she will be a pushover at the start of a match.

“I think most girls do when they see me,” she said. “Who wouldn’t? After I win the first couple of games, then it’s like, ‘Uh-oh.’ ”

It has already been quite a senior year for the National Honor Society member, who has been nominated for Homecoming queen.

One of the biggest thrills, though, was being named a co-captain of the tennis team.

“It was definitely an honor,” Jozefiak said.

When asked about the duties of a captain, she paused and replied, “Lifting the team up and keeping the other girls motivated.”

It’s safe to say that she’s getting the job done.