As it relates to athletics, the notion of perfection can be a tricky thing. It’s a word that’s used quite a bit; probably too often when you consider the true definition of the word (the condition, state or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects). Certainly there are some athletic achievements that can accurately be described as perfect — a 300 game in bowling, the flawless execution of a difficult routine in gymnastics, scoring a 10 on a majestic dive, among others.

Shore Regional High School’s Mike Lippens was the top tennis player in the state in 2010. The Blue Devil senior-to-be didn’t lose a match all year (25-0) on his way to the NJSIAA singles championship. But athletic feats are often awarded the label of perfection inappropriately. Look at the perfect game in baseball; 27 up, 27 down. But unless the pitcher throws all strikes, technically it’s not an entirely “perfect” game, right?

Shore Regional High School’s Michael Lippens won the NJSIAA singles championships this spring. PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Or when someone runs “the perfect race.” What makes it perfect, the fact that his strategy and subsequent execution resulted in him winning?

Or how about the perfect season? Is such a thing really possible? Sure you can win every game you play, but unless you never allowed an opponent even a single moment of success, you cannot realistically say the entire season went perfectly, can you?

The point is, in the world of athletics, perfection is relative. And in most cases, even after you have achieved “perfection,” there is still room for improvement.

And that is what has Michael Lippens more motivated than ever.

Lippens, a junior from Shore Regional, recently capped a “perfect” season by winning the 2010 NJSIAA individual state tennis championship. After reaching the state final in 2009 (where he lost to Mike Lampa of Ocean Township), Lippens entered the 2010 season anxious to take that next step, and did.

“After last year, making it to the final and losing, it made me want to win even more this year,” he said. “To win every match I played was my goal from the beginning.”

And that’s exactly what he did, going 25-0 and beating Lenape senior Nikola Kocovic, 6-2, 6-3, in the state final.

Lippens cruised through the season, for the most part, citing his matches in the semifinals and finals of the state tournament as the two toughest matches of the season.

“Those last two matches were good matches,” he said. “I had a 6-4 set in the semis and a 6-3 in the final. But I was able to really be in the moment throughout the tournament and play my game.”

Against the University of Pennsylvania bound Kocovic (37-1), Lippens faced his toughest challenge of the season. Both players held serve through four games, with Kocovic earning a break point in the fifth game. But Lippens held serve and then broke Kocovic in the following game to take control of the match.

To his credit, Kocovic never gave in, playing a more aggressive game in the second set and earning several more break points. But he was never able to finish the job, as Lippens frustrated his opponent with clutch play at the match’s most important moments.

Now that he has achieved perfection, Lippens is doing everything he can to get even better. He said that his game improved markedly between his sophomore and junior years, and expects the same level of progression during this off-season.

“The entirety of my game has improved,” he said. “And I know what I need to do to get better. It’s all small things, but they add up.

“The more I get to play, the more I can add diversity to my game, instead of playing just one style of play,” he added. “I’m alwaysworkingtofinddifferentways to win.”

This summer, Lippens is looking to participate in a number of Futures tournaments, having recently played in one in Rochester, N.Y.

“I lost in the qualifier in three sets, but it was a great experience,” he said. “It was a good match, and it was only my second or third Futures event. There’s a big difference between these tournaments and high school play. A lot of the guys in these tournaments have a lot more experience than I do and are a lot older. The quality of play is much better.”

The level of competition will only help Lippens as he prepares for his senior season at Shore. However, it won’t be all fun and games this summer, as Lippens will also be starting to look at colleges.

While Lippens has not been able to speak directly to any coaches about playing at their respective schools (schools were not allowed to begin recruiting Lippens until July 1), several coaches have certainly shown interest.

“I’ve had some initial conversations with some coaches, but never about playing for them,” Lippens said. “They can start calling me now, so I’ll talk to them, visit the colleges and decide from there.”

Lippens added that he hopes to make a quick decision, so he can get back to working on his game.

“I’d like to decide on a school early so I don’t have to worry about it and can play in some bigger tournaments instead,” he said.

Lippens has also attracted the eye of some marketers.

“After the state tournament, Dunlop wanted to sponsor me,” he said. “I thought that was pretty cool.”

So things are going well for the state’s top scholastic tennis player. In fact, you could say his high school career is progressing perfectly.

But even with a successful defense of his state title and another perfect season in 2011, just don’t expect Lippens to be satisfied. Satisfaction, like perfection, can be a tricky thing.