Since I could toddle along in my diapers, faded pink blanket in hand, I have been playing tennis. Starting at the time I was 2 years old, there hasn’t been a day that has gone by where I haven't been on the court training, playing a match, driving or flying to my next tournament, or thinking about hitting that fuzzy, rubber, yellow ball across the net. Tennis has been a daily focus since before I was born. My mother was an elite professional, and my dad has made his living teaching at the professional level. Having been born into a family where tennis is not only a fun activity but a means of living and income, it was inevitable that I would have aspirations to not only be the best in Canada but to be a household name all over the world. …show more content…
They think that I have missed out on crucial parts of my childhood such as hanging out with friends, getting my driver's license on my 16th birthday, partying on the weekends, etc. But in reality, I have not. At 17 years old, I think I have more life skills and experience than most people twice my age. Tennis has given me countless opportunities to travel the world, make new connections, and experience different cultures, all while competing in the sport I love. I have gained drive, confidence, maturity, discipline, and above all, independence from my years competing in
Lauer L., Gould D., Roman N., Pierce M. (2010). Parental Behaviors That Affect Junior Tennis Player Development. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 487-496.
The following instructions apply to right-handed players as well as left-handed players with the slight adjustment in the use of opposite hands and feet. Before you begin to serve the ball, you would have to stand behind the baseline, on the opposite side of the service box. If you are serving towards your opponent’s right service box, you should be standing on the right side of your court. ...
Raised in a small town of 750 people, where high school sports meant everything, sport has played a tremendous role in my life. Basketballs and footballs replaced stuffed animals in cribs, and dribbling a basketball came before learning to ride a bike. I started playing basketball in the second grade, and I hated it. We always played in the division above us and we hardly ever won a game, but after watching Coach Summitt and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers win back to back National Championships, the same years my high school girls basketball team won back to back State Championships, I fell in love with the game. In fact, sport is what led me to the University of Tennessee; I admired Pat Summitt, not only because of the number of wins and National
Aces In Motion (AIM) is a non-profit organization based in the Gainesville community who focus on providing at-risk youth with the opportunity to learn how to play tennis while instilling valuable life lessons. Each week, AIM works with more than 500 from surrounding schools through the in-school, after-school among other programs to teach the participants about teamwork, self-esteem, and confidence as tennis players and most importantly individuals. AIM’s main purpose is to give the youth within the Gainesville community the opportunity to learn and experience different activities and connect with other youths to engage in healthy and fun extracurricular activities.
So why on Earth would I subject myself to hours of training for a sport I don’t even do? For that we have to go back to March 24, 2015, the day of tennis tryouts. Being that sophomore year was my first year at Marquette High, making the varsity tennis team was a huge deal for me. As tryouts concluded, my chances for making varsity were exceptionally high, for I had beaten two returning varsity players as well as two others fighting for my varsity
Throughout high school, I was a varsity member of my school’s tennis team. Unlike most school sports, our tennis team consisted of both boys and girls on the same team. A small school to begin with, the lack of funding for tennis led to an even smaller turnout in the boys tennis team, thus they allowed girls to also join. In addition, the program was still very new and unestablished. The end result was an untrained boys tennis team that was actually just an untrained girls tennis team with about three boys tagging along. Unfortunately, all of the surrounding tennis programs consisted of lifetime tennis players, and yes, they were 100% male. This combination meant that my second doubles partner, Kayla, and I were usually greeted by our opponents with the mentality that the match would be easy, since we were just girls.
For the past five years I have been fortunate enough to have a job as a tennis instructor for the Scituate Youth Center. The Scituate Youth Center is a non-profit organization that offers various sports clinics and programs to anyone between the ages of four and seventeen. It has been around for over 40 years, and currently has over 2000 kids participating in its programs. Each program is run by primarily high school and college aged individuals under the guidance of the head athletic director. The members of the executive board for this organization are all unpaid volunteers that are responsible for the facilitation of the programs, and ultimately are the main reason why the organization has had such a large impact on the community.
Tennis players dream of walking onto the court with a crowd supporting them, whether it be teammates or dedicated fans. Some tennis players will come face to face with professional athletes before turning twenty-two, while others will stick to playing college tennis. The reason why many college tennis players strive towards becoming professional athletes is because they are passionate enough about tennis to call it a career. Even incoming college players are debating whether to represent their university or join the professional tour after graduating high school. Universities do not provide players with financial support, which leads to the thought of tennis being nothing more than a hobby. Athletes will spend forty-three hours weekly practicing
I have been involved in many activities throughout high school that have shaped me into the person I am today. These activities have exposed me to an immense group of different and diverse people. I’ve played hockey since age three, it is more than just a game. It is not only about playing hockey, it is about learning life skills that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life. I have learned how to work as a team member no matter if things are going well or if they are not. You also build bonds between teammates throughout the years and make memories that will never be forgotten. A very big importance of the game of hockey is being able to represent my home city of White Bear Lake. Nothing is better than going out to represent our city in front of an arena
Possessing a tangible object is a manifestation of a person’s sense of self as it helps the owner feel more connected to what they enjoy, believe, or even find nostalgic. For instance, when I hold a tennis racket, I feel determined and I own the idea that I can win a match without anyone having to reassure me; this owning of confidence allows me understand what I love doing best. Similarly, Serena Williams feels the same. At age 3, she was taught to make a career out of becoming a tennis player because of her family legacy and although she fathomed that she must work diligently in order to emerge one of the greatest players, Serena could not truly feel passionate about the sport until she held a racket and win her US Open Title. An intangible idea helps an individual realize their values, knowledge, and passion, but without the physical ownership, it is difficult to exhibit it. Therefore, the two are
Hearing the loud “thump” as the ball hits the racket is extremely satisfying, especially if your life now revolves around this fast-paced and exhilarating sport. Tennis is an outdoor game played by two individuals or pairs of players on a clay or grass court that’s divided by a low net. Each game is played with tennis rackets and small, yellow elastic balls. Tennis was first introduced in Wales and the United Kingdom in 1873 by “Major Walter Wingfield” (tennistheme.com). While most sports are easy to pick up, tennis takes extreme dedication to learn how to play the game, to perfect the amount of technique it takes, as well as its great impact on one’s personal life.
Peer relationships, obeying authority, and looking up to a role model, are all character traits that are learned through the practice of athletics. During a normal match of tennis, many mistakes will be made. However, these mistakes will be able to tell you the flaws in your swing and the ability to fix them and continue competing without getting frustrated. Tennis teaches the ability to handle mistakes and to use them to your advantages. Tennis teaches many positive characteristics that benefit the athlete in many areas of
My love for tennis blossomed at the young age of eleven. During middle school my peers knew me as the boy who was remarkably talented at tennis and I savored that title. Butterflies floated throughout my youthful body whenever someone complimented me. As the years passed, my dad nurtured me into a top player. Before I knew it high school arrived and it was time to compete at a higher level. My excitement was out of this world, but I knew my dad could no longer push me forward and my future was up to me. However, the ego I developed over the years blocked what lie in front of me. I wasn’t looking at the bigger picture; the hard work demanded of me, teamwork, and the motivation to reach an ultimate goal. Throughout my four years of participating
The most principal piece of the sport of tennis is the rally, where adversaries progressively hit the ball forward and backward over the net, utilizing their tennis racquets, until one player makes a slip. Amid a rally, there is an astounding cluster of essential mechanical standards in progress that represent the direction or the ball. The motion of movement of a tennis ball are represented by the same fundamental mechanical rule. In any case, the sheer number of power communications that happen on a tennis ball make it difficult to effectively determine a basic scientific comparison for the flight way of a tennis ball once it has been hit by a racquet. So all things being equal we will quickly touch on a percentage of the physical rule that administer the development of a tennis ball. At that point we will look at the impacts of twist on
During our tennis season in the fall, our team participates in many competitions. I try to encourage my teammates to keep this same attitude to always give their absolute hardest on the court during competitions, as well as during practice. I learned this year as captain, that a group of individuals, united by a common goal and drive, can accomplish great achievements. We fought hard and made it to the Regional Semifinals, and completed our season ranked as the number six team in the state of Texas.