Tennis champ awarded by tennis legend

Whitefish High School tennis player Danni Paulson is one of two people to win the 2005 Novo Nordisk Donnelly awards.

The awards are given annually by Billie Jean King WTT Charities to two tennis players nationally age 14-21 who have diabetes. Each award winner receives a $5,000 scholarship.

Despite coping with the disease since the age of five, Paulson won the Montana State High School Class A girls singles title as a sophomore and a junior. She has also held national age group rankings.

Paulson plans to play tennis on a college team after she finishes high school in 2006. She takes insulin injections every day to control her diabetes. Paulson is an honor student and regularly volunteers to tutor elementary students.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King created the Novo Nordisk Donnelly Awards to encourage children living with diabetes to lead an active life and to compete in tennis.

The awards are named after two long-time World Team Tennis executives and sisters, Diane Donnelly Stone and Tracey Donnelly Maltby, both of whom grew up with diabetes and played intercollegiate tennis on scholarships.