PERSONAL STATEMENT
The sport of tennis has taught me several life lessons that have translated into other areas of my life. Through the discipline of tennis I felt what it was like to love, be passionate, and be determined for a specific interest. Tennis also opened my eyes to a world I had not seen as a player. That was the, so-to-speak, “behind the curtain” scene. All of my hard work developing as a player not only came from the will within, but also the aid of others such as tennis foundations, non-profit programs, and many tennis mentors who held deeper purpose/meaning in the knowledge that they fortunately shared with me. With the experiences (uphill and downhill) the sport has provided me, I am now able to provide mentorship to other children with economic, racial, or
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That specific moment was a blessing for me, all by chance as I had only planned on picking up a friend's brothers from their lesson. Although I was instantly a natural, I still needed training. From then on it was clear, I wanted to excel at tennis. I joined the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program family where the culmination of my new passion and addiction flourished. There I would watch the seasoned players and sit for hours on YouTube trying to emulate the pros and hone my skills. I was the one who had the potential and just needed direction.
My mentor and coach Dante Brown was the first person to tell me that I needed to let the process take its course. I had an unrealistic mindset of certainty. Practicing more hours did not always guarantee a better serve or better groundstroke. However, I slowly realized that other factors needed to be in place before that could actually happen. Things such as practicing proper technique, learning about myself, my playing style, etc., were all things that would naturally happen on their own if I had let them. I had now I learned the life lesson of process and goal
While my athleticism developed, I neglected honing my mental strength, leading me to not achieve my potential during matches. Allowing my mind to dictate my emotions rather than produce strategies led to frequent defeats. However, with motivational tales recounted by my coach and plenty of work on my part, I gained the ability to focus and rise up to become a nationally competitive tennis player.
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.
Noreen was inspired to start playing herself, by watching her brother from the sidelines. Although she discovered tennis at a very young age, she did not start playing, until she was ten. Noreen was preoccupied with dance and other activities, and never got around to actually playing herself. Noreen began training recreationally but soon started playing at some academies. This year, she entered into high school and joined the Piedmont High varsity tennis team. From being a part of a supportive team, with amazing coaches, Noreen has learned a lot from her teammates along with exposure to many remarkable experiences. With an abundance of wonderful role models from her team surrounding her, she is inspired to constantly try her best and to appreciate tennis. She aspires to be more competitive when it comes to playing, and to progress in improving her playing overall. Her hope is to never lose her passion for the sport and to continue playing it throughout her
My ascent to the Baylor Men’s Tennis Team is a story of using relentless hard work to accomplish a goal that seemed like a long shot
As a member of the Varsity tennis team, I am no stranger to facing what seem to be impossible odds. Being a singles player, during a match it is all on me to figure out what is going wrong and make the adjustments to fix it. Halfway through a match, I found myself down one set to none against the seventh ranked team in the state. The break in between sets is time to reflect on the same thus far, and to think about what you are doing right and what you aren’t doing so well. At this point in the game, I was down on myself and I couldn’t get anything in my arsenal of shots going. Instead of continuing to try to hit shots that I hadn’t hit all game, I decided to go back to the basics and try to gain some confidence in my shots. My main goal was
Joining tennis was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I made new friendships that have latest throughout the years, I grew out of comfort zone, I learned how to play and how to manage my time wisely. My experience with tennis has been amazing along with some difficult obstacles along the way. But overall I have learned to become the best version of myself. Tennis is not an easy sport no matter what anyone says. You have to decide how to hit the ball, where to aim it to and also the amount of power you put into it. It also takes time getting used to holding a racket, especially for the back hand hit. I remember it being truly confusing to memorize.
For most of my life (about 14 years), I have been an avid tennis player. I have great admiration for the sport because it facilitates the development of leadership, self-discipline and problem-solving skills. When I am on the tennis court, it
At age 16 I was told that I was incapable of being an athlete, I was told tennis was not a sport, I was told I could never play “a real man’s sport”. That same year, I stepped onto a soccer pitch for the first time in my life, I lined up against young men who had been playing the sport for more than a decade.Yet, I went out there with confidence and challenged them along with the notion that I could not play a real sport. Although, I was scared to embarrass myself, I knew that this decision would be one of the greatest I would ever make because of the life experiences I would gain from leaving my comfort zone for the first time,
I played tennis through junior high school. I hated running. Because I tired running easily. But I like plaing tennis. Because I am not tired playing tennis. But I limited body power when I became high school. As soon as, I began body power training. It seems that I am fine begin body power training. Because I was stong tennis. Also, I am useful on the life because I began body power training. Now, I continuing body power
In the autobiography, No One Makes It Alone, by Andrew A Valdez, we learn more or less on how one man’s decision to pull Andy off the streets, and have him pursue tennis, changed Andy’s entire life for better. Even though my older brother Omar was not influenced by a certain person he is still pursuing his dreams and trying to accomplish all his goals in life. Andy and Omar both learned how play sports and they knew that in order to improve they need to keep practicing and never give up. Omar and Andy are both self- doubting , curious, and hardworking individuals who have overcome obstacles in life, and still manage to keep positive attitudes.
My brother and sister had been playing tennis for a long time, and they were starting to get really well. They won many tournaments. We have a couple boxes full with trophies from them. My parents decided to take my siblings’ tennis to the next level. They knew of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fl. They bought a house in Vizcaya, a small gated community that was 1 minute away, by foot, from IMG. One could look onto IMG’s golf courses from the gate entrance. My parents sent my siblings there, first, to check out Florida, IMG, Vizcaya, and do other things. Later, all of us, except for my dad, flew over to America.
In 2010 I started taking tennis more serious. I played 5 days a week at my neighborhood tennis courts. It was really hard at first, I'm not gonna lie, I hated running a four-court suicide and playing a tennis match where the sun was blocking my view. But as I had more understanding of the game. My coaches encouraged me to improve and as I progressed, my coaches spoke of my potential. I advanced to the top class.
This feeling pushes me to work harder. It’s the feeling that makes me wonder how I’ve really gotten this far in my tennis life. Thinking back at all the opportunities I’ve been given, I feel so lucky to have been able to take advantage of each second. I also think about when I didn’t appreciate many of those moments. Because of those particular occasions, I try extra hard to be thankful and easygoing to make up for that stuck-up mentality.
I remember my sophomore year when I began to play tennis. I had no idea what I was doing, but I just wanted to try a new sport. I knew it was a productive activity and I believed I would enjoy playing after school rather than only going home to do homework and watch television. The first practice was astonishing to me because I learned the basics of the game so quickly. I was taught how to hold my racket, how to effectively serve, how to do groundstrokes, and how scoring worked. After two weeks of playing tennis, I could not wait to play in a game regardless of my anxiety about messing up and losing. My tennis team and I finally had a tennis match and I was playing in the first women's singles match. Although I tried my very best to win against a more experienced player, I ultimately lost the match as well as the remainder of the matches I participated in throughout my sophomore year in high school.
I started playing tennis at the age of 4 years old. Not only that I have always enjoyed working hard on the court, all of my family members were somehow connected to tennis. When I was smaller, I used to play either with my father, mother, or my uncle. They all have been great tennis players, and I think that is one of the reasons that pushed me forward in becoming a professional tennis player. I knew from the beginning that trying to build your career to the highest level is extremely difficult. But with my family around, I have found the determination and passion for the sport to give everything on a daily basis to succeed. I won my first tournament when I was 8 years old in my home club in Prague.