Personal Narrative: A Day At The Community Tennis Courts

During the earlier years of my tennis career, about the age of seven, my parents had learned of a nearby organization at Watkins Park Maryland. The organization was known as the Prince George’s Tennis and Education Foundation. It was here where I began to make my largest strides in my life, both academically and athletically.

Being ranked number one on the Vacaville High School Varsity Tennis Team was one of the most mentally challenging events during high school. I love tennis, but it was very difficult balancing all of my Advanced Placement classes, trying to having some sort of a social life and playing tennis year-round all at the same time. The only reason being number one was mentally challenging was because I was losing most of of my matches. I thought about quitting the tennis team more times than I could count. It was my first year playing in the number one spot and I was not ready to play against such high-level tennis players. I knew that if I didn't show up we would lose because the rest of the team would have to play against a player that is one level

I receive a call from a Freshmen girl the day after an annual event for the Jenks tennis players. According to her, two boys--a Junior and a Freshman--were under the influence of alcohol. 'At a school event, seriously?' I wander.

As far as most people are concerned, every school tennis court is pretty much the same. The only prominent difference is the surface, whether it is a hard court, clay, or even grass. While I was a member of the Brewer High School Tennis team, I can recall vivid details of the time I spent participating in inter-school scrimmages and district tournaments as well as the other teammates involved. The tennis court I played on was surrounded by a steel, vinyl coated chain-link fence with aged and weathered benches located in the outer boundaries of the court. In addition, the surface of the court was coated with a green, acrylic paint with white boundary lines painted where necessary. There was one practice session where I accepted a challenge to

Have you ever had a sport or hobby that became a part of you? Something that motivates you throughout the day and is so meaningful that you feel incomplete without? I discovered early in high school that Tennis was for me. I have a great interest in sports and it has greatly impacted me over the years. Basketball was the first sport I fell in love with.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a shy person and never liked putting myself into social situations. The one way that got me out of my shell was playing tennis. In ninth grade my best friend encouraged me that we play and try it out. As soon as I started playing ,I fell in love with the sport. In my life, I have tried other sports such as soccer and volleyball, but i never stuck with them due to the fact that i just could not connect and get into them. Tennis was completely different.

As my teammates and I practiced, throughout our first two weeks, we became better. After losing so much during my first year of competing in tennis, I learned to stay calm, confident, and focused during the matches in my junior year. The leading match of the season was remarkably challenging, but instead of succumbing to defeat, I rose up to the challenge and became victorious. Although I went on to win most of the matches I competed in that year, I learned more from losing than I did from winning. As the season came to an end, I competed in the tennis regionals and made it to the semifinals before I lost. My past failure not only taught me to become a better tennis player but also taught me to be a better

I ran and felt as if I was about to collapse. Conditioning for tennis had been going on for three days now and I still was not used to all the exercise. I was sore and my muscles felt heavy and tight. l had never played any sport in middle school, which is why I wanted to try one in high school. As my mother drives up towards me, I felt the sudden urge to cry. I tried to hold in the tears the entire car ride home. My mother noticed that I was more quiet than usual, and asked about how my day went. I only shrugged and looked away as I wiped a tear away.

When I was younger, I wanted to experience as many sports as I could before I settled on “just” cheerleading. Being my biggest fan and supporter, my mom went all out (as she does with everything) and signed me up for swim team, gymnastics, dance, and tennis. I stuck with tennis the longest because I found that it was the most enjoyable – besides my beloved cheerleading. My family and I would agree that I was fairly good at tennis for a girl at the young age of only six. My coach complimented me by saying that I was talented and performed well; however, (ready for the zinger?) my coach also said tennis was NOT the sport for me. You read that correctly…he said I was good but that I should NOT play tennis. Wait…there’s more! He continued

There is lots to know about me. I play tennis all year round at the Racquet Club of Lake Bluff. There are many talented tennis coaches that are from all over the world. My main tennis coaches are from France. I play the piano and teach lessons for many kids from ages 5-11. I have been playing piano since I was three. I also have a passion for crafts and baking for my family. In my free time I love to read books and watch T.V. shows. My favorite genre of books is realistic fiction because I love knowing that what I read could happen at any second. My favorite T.V. show is Grey’s Anatomy. It is so intriguing watching what happens in the hospital and seeing how surgical doctors live. I have a brother and two sisters. My brother Alex, is leaving for college on thursday to University of San Diego. My two sisters Gabrielle and Juliette are currently at the Lake Forest High School. I have a dog named Marty and he is six years old. He is a half lab, quarter beagle, quarter pug. I am very organized and I love reading new books. I am excited for the books that we will be reading this year.

Neither of us were interested in that. My serves were known to be powerful and very fast, quite frankly they were terrifying. The last game was my serve, all that needed to be done was to keep the ball in, and that my returns were solid and unexpected. My partner looked at me and we did our normal nod before the serve. I tossed the ball up, followed up, and swung through. There was an abnormal pull on my side at the peak of my serve, I let it go. Our opponents failed to return the serve. I go to serve again, tossed the ball up and following through with hesitation. This time my shoulder caught, and pain shot through my arm. But, last game right? I stretched it out,and shook my arm, trying to get back in my grove. My serve following I failed to get it over the net. My fingers with tingling and my arm was going numb, I could hardly hold my racket. I liked to use my height to an advantage and vertical up and spike the ball down without letting it bounce. I went to spike and some how it was good, it was hard and it was fast. We held out hope, till eventually they won the match. My shoulder hurt for awhile,

Tennis, a great sport that requires a lot of concentration, balance, and strength. In the beginning of high school, tennis was what started everything. Since tennis starts in the summer, my teammates will be the first people who I will meet before school starts. Since my freshmen year, I was always a doubles player, but that does not mean that it will be easy work. Having a partner during tennis does not mean that since there are two people playing it will be less work to be done. Actually, having a double’s partner may actually be more work because you have to be able to communicate with your partner and perform great sportsmanship awards. During the summer of my sophomore year, I trained hard with a friend to get better which later

The car jostled as we passed over a speed bump to reach our destination, a homeless shelter. Never having coached tennis before, ideas frantically buzzed through my head on how to engage the children at the shelter. Immediately sent out to the tennis courts upon arrival, we were left gaping at the half-torn nets and the dead tennis balls strewn across the moldy courts. We gathered the children together and divided them into groups, shepherding them to different courts.

It is another hot, muggy, September day in Tupelo, Mississippi. The sun is out, and the heat is radiating off of the tennis court. It is a single court with lots of tall trees swaying in the wind around it. I enter the court in my red shirt and am ready for my match to begin. I am all alone; nobody else is in sight.

From middle to high school my entire, the entire incentive I had switches. During high school, my personality is much different than that in which middle school was. I begin focusing completely on my grades, finding friends who accept me for my who I actually am, and begin planning for my future. This is where my real identity is coming in. I know the type of person that I am, how I behave, what I like and dislike, etc. and it is all coming together. One of the things that shapes my identity is playing tennis. Tennis is a sport where you have nobody but yourself to rely. After watching Serena Williams winning the US Open in 2012, a spark ignited in me and I trained hard at tennis for nearly 4 years, and have gotten pretty decent at it. Tennis