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. …show more content…
During sectionals, our county’s championships, we were seeded against the second best doubles team in the area. Due to this essay’s prompt, you already know that this is no Hail Mary match or heartwarming underdog tale, but rather a story of failure. We lost the entire match in less than half an hour. But the whole time, I remember laughing, bonding with my teammate, and just enjoying myself. I learned that I’m not always going to be the best at everything or the winner of the match, but that doesn’t mean that I should stop trying or stop enjoying myself. Losing that match didn’t take away from all of the hours of hard work that we had put in to get there, and it sure didn’t make our efforts any less
Girls are told to stay indoors and play with their dolls or bake, while boys are encouraged to go outdoors, get dirty, and be adventurous. Wade and Ferree also state “sports are squarely on the masculine side of the gender binary” (Wade and Ferree, 174). Hence, we are brought up with the understanding that playing and talking about sports is a boy’s thing, which further promotes the notion that sports are a very masculine thing. Furthermore, as playing sports is competitive and is a way to show excellence, young boys are considered as “real boys” and “real men” later on. However, when boys do not talk about or play sports, they are considered feminine or “not real men.” The same rule applies for young girls. If young girls are too into sports, they are considered to be “too masculine.” This is true for me too. When I was younger, I was told to not play too much outdoors and to behave “like a girl.” The stigma that only boys should be allowed to play sports and it is not a feminine thing needs to be erased for us to welcome a more gender-equal
As most children did, I had the choice to play whatever sport I wanted. Considering my height, 5’10, most would assume that I played either basketball or volleyball. No one expected me to play tennis, and was surprised when I said that I did. During my elementary years, I played softball for seven years, and when I hit eighth grade, I decided to play tennis. My decision came about because of my sister. I had always followed closely in her footsteps because I looked up to her a lot, so when I saw she was playing; I wanted to try it out too. I had never really thought about what it would be like to play tennis. I didn’t hate it, or really know what it would be like to play it. And little did I know that playing would demand so much time, energy, and effort.
Sports play a very important role in my life ever since I could walk. My interests in playing sports began at the age of three as my parents signed me up for soccer, flag football, basketball, and lacrosse. First grade started my competitive edge as I began to play for travel teams in various sport tournaments. This competitive edge transferred from the sports field to the classroom having teachers and coaches helping me be the best I can be. Sports have continually well-shaped and defined my character by teaching me how to accept a win from working hard, also how a loss is an opportunity to learn and fix mistakes.
Over the summer I was very busy. I had U.S. History for six weeks but that didn’t strike me as a problem. What really caused a conflict was managing tennis, volunteer work, and ACT practice all at the same time. Over the summer I played over six hours of tennis every week. In addition, I plan to play five hours every week during the school year. Aside from tennis, I also volunteer as a tutor both in the ARC and in the Deerfield Public Library. I use my advanced math skills to help out my peers in the ARC and I use my brotherly skills to help little kids improve their reading skills. My volunteer work adds an extra two hours to my six hours of tennis and twenty hours of history. The last of my time usually goes to ACT preparation. As a junior,
It's inappropriate for the girls to want to try out for the boys team, even amusing to the boys and their coach. According to the coach “girls aren't as fast as boy, or strong or as athletic”. The coach declares it a scientific fact and furthers on to say “girls can't beat boys”. It is unnatural for girls to compete alongside boys because they are viewed as the inferior sex.
As some youth’s in our society are facing challenges to become self-reliant, I also have some struggles in becoming self-sufficient. The most significant challenges that occurred to me was joining my school’s tennis team. I was never interested in physical activities, like sports. I didn’t like dealing with heavy equipment gear, running around with an equipment that weighs at least ten ounces, or worst of all sweating. As you can see I have zero experience in sports and zero tolerance in any type of physical sports.
Did you know about 90 percent of children between ages 11-16 witness bullying? This summer at tennis camp, I became a part of the 90 percent to witness bullying.
Finally Friday came. The tournament lasted for about three hours, peppered with constant complaints, arguments, and threatened fist fights. To my own disbelief, we lost -- by one point! For the rest of the night I rationalized our loss by creating stories of how they must have cheated, accented by remarks about the character blemishes of their mothers. I just kept saying that we were still the best and it didn't matter that we had lost. By the end of the night no one was speaking to me, not even my partner in the competition. I finally snuck off and went home. All the way, I could feel myself choking on ...
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.
Gender inequality in the United States is a serious problem, and it is often overlooked. It is a big issue, especially within sports. We live in a society where our culture prefers men 's sports over women 's. Labeling activities as feminine and masculine is a social construction based on stereotyped expectations regarding gender and perceived gender differences (McCullick, 2012). In 1972 Title IX was passed stating that, no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. This opened up athletics to women and girls (Education Amendment Act of 1972, 1972). Although
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.
The type of sport adolescents choose to participate in can be considered masculine, feminine, or neutral which causes stereotypes among peers. Society has set the stereotypes for competitive sports based on gender. According to Alley & Hick (2005), “despite legal and social changes, sexist ideology still pervades sport” (p.273). Sports are seen as masculine, male dominated, and males receive higher media coverage and pay than the majority of female sports. The gender stereotype is learned through socialization and “for certain sports appear to be learned by grade school” (Alley & Hicks, 2005. p. 274). Gender role conflicts may appear in some athlete depending on the sport(s) one chooses to participate in, but this can alter by demonstrating acceptance for the opposite gender in sports. It is important to indentifying the social effects of sports participation in both genders and how beneficial it can be to the adolescent. Through sports participation adolescents learn those gender roles are based on self-perception, and not social interactions.
When I was a child, I was extremely skeptical of tennis. Many times when I visited my aunt, she would be intently watching tennis on her large, homely television. I did not understand her fascination at the time. I, like many others, did not appreciate the lure of the sport, and deemed it boring for many years. Then the summer before high school came, and I was looking for something new, so I decided to attend the county’s tennis camp. This, as I later realized, was the best decision I ever made. In October, I tried out for the tennis team and was the only freshman brought onto the team. At this time, I did not have any friends on the team and was not involved in many activities.
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
Ann, 2007, pg. 57), however this is not true. This mentality causes males to resent the female athletes, thus rendering it even more difficult for them to succeed. Without a shift in gender ideology, females will continue to face adversity, regardless of the amount of change that has occurred over the last 30 years. There does not need to be equality between the genders within sports, however equity must be seen, with the perception of the abilities that female athletes possess not being compared to that of males. This would aid males to not feel as threatened by females participating in sports and physical