Every great athlete has a rival – an opponent they must overcome to take their game to even higher levels.
For a young Todd Schlorf, that rival was … his mother?
"My mom (Donna) was a really good athlete," Schlorf said. "She taught phy ed for a time, and both she and my dad played a lot of tennis.
"She took it easy on me when I was little. But when we started playing seriously, she'd beat me pretty handily. That wasn't a lot of fun. You never like losing to your mom."
It wasn't until he was 14, on a court at the St. Cloud Country Club, that Schlorf recalls first taking a set off his mom, who later went on to teach tennis to underprivileged children in Florida before her death at age 86 in 2020.
And by the time Schlorf could hold his own with her, he was already making a name for himself in the youth ranks as part of a St. Cloud tennis scene just starting a decade-long boom that culminated in 1991 when Tennis Magazine ranked the community the No. 1 tennis town in the nation.
"It really was a magical time to grow up in St. Cloud as a tennis player," Schlorf recalled. "There were so many opportunities I was able to take advantage of. There was the Augusta Tennis Club out by I-94. I spent a lot of time there over the years. My brother (Jay, also a former player at SJU) owned it at one point.
"There was a company in town called Bankers Systems, which was owned by Bill Clemens (who made numerous donations to SJU and the College of Saint Benedict over the years). He was a huge sports enthusiast, and he sponsored a traveling junior tennis program. So 20 boys and 20 girls would get on buses and go to tournaments in the Twin Cities. (Current CSB and SJU head coach)
Jack Bowe was one of our coaches."
Schlorf thrived in that environment, fine-tuning his game for the high school level at St. Cloud Tech, where he helped lead the Tigers to Class 2A state titles in 1983 and '85.
Then it was off to Saint John's where he where he won MIAC singles titles as both a freshman and senior and earned four-straight berths in the NCAA Division III tournament (though he only accepted three).
He was a two-time All-American singles selection and a one-time doubles selection with partner Craig Herold. In addition, he led the Johnnies to the national tournament as a team in 1990 – the first and only time in program history that's happened.
"I don't think people always understood just how much talent that guy had," Herold said. "Todd could easily have played at the Division I level. That's how good he was.
"He was one of those rare athletes who could play people at a normal speed and normal level, but who could switch gears and take his game to a whole new place when he needed to. In big matches, and at big points, he was as cool as a cucumber. He never got rattled and always rose to the occasion."
That was clear from the start, which is why then-SJU head coach Dick Schroeder made him the team's No. 1 singles player as a freshman in 1987. He finished that season 14-3 overall and defeated Carleton's Tom James 6-4, 6-2 in the MIAC title match, earning a berth at nationals.
But away from the court, he was struggling in his classes. So he made the difficult decision to decline the bid in order to focus on ending his freshman year strong academically.
"Even before college, I'd had some experience in national junior tournaments and it wasn't always the best," Schlorf said. "It was a long flight only to run into someone strong in the first round. Then you'd have to turn around and come home with your tail between your legs. At the time, I felt like it was better to go out on a high note by winning the MIAC championship. That way I could take care of everything I needed to academically, then come back the next year and build on what I'd started."
Which is just what he did, again earning a spot in nationals as a sophomore, then returning as a junior and senior – compiling a 24-3 record in each of his final two seasons.
He also earned All-American honors in both of those years – the first time a Johnnie player had accomplished that feat.
"When a ball is near him, he's going to get it," Schroeder told the St. Cloud Times in 1990. "His great foot speed and court sense mean he's always around the ball. He's playing at a more sophisticated level and he's developed much more thinking, working on the mental aspects of the game."
Schlorf also built chemistry with doubles partner Herold, a classmate from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The duo won multiple MIAC titles and advanced to nationals three times.
As seniors, the pair defeated the Gustavus team of Ryan Skanse and Schlorf's former Tech teammate Dave Jussila 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in the conference championship match. The victory helped solidify a second-place finish for SJU and likely secured the team's berth in the national tournament.
"To me, that was the greatest moment of my time at Saint John's," he said. "I'd already had individual accolades and accomplishments, but to help bring the team along on a national adventure was such a cool experience."
Schlorf went to work for Clemens at Bankers System after graduation – first in St. Cloud, then in Texas and eventually Florida. He's still in sales with the company – which became part of Wolters Kluwer in 1994 – today.
He and his wife – who raised three children (Emily, Clare and Abby, whose first initials backward spell out ace … get it?) – currently reside just outside of Fort Lauderdale. Meanwhile, he continues to play tennis, qualifying for nationals in the 55-and-over age group this past winter.
"The first tournament I ever played in was the 10-and-under division," he said. "Now I play 55-and-over. In a few years, if my legs and body hold up, I'll be playing in the 60s. I don't plan to stop anytime soon.
"I still enjoy the game and I have a lot of fun out there."
