I would paint “she believed she could, so she did” on the Beta Bridge. It is a message of encouragement for girls and women that my mom shared with me during a big transition for our family. We lived in Charlottesville for fourteen years and moved to Vermont before my freshman year of high school. I was upset about the move - leaving great friends, familiar schools and terrific tennis in Virginia. I took next steps each day, meeting new friends, registering for classes and trying out for varsity tennis. I did well in school and made the tennis team, starting in doubles and singles my freshman year and then winning three consecutive team state championships. I trained outside of school and participated in USTA tournaments, working to the number one ranking for USTA 18s in Vermont. What seemed like a setback after middle school turned into learning opportunities for believing in myself, navigating new circumstances and training to win. …show more content…
I went from being one of the best players in New England to middle of the pack at a top academy. My classmates are from all over the world, including China, India and Venezuela. I work hard to keep pace, dedicate extra time with coaches and appreciate the structured time for our academic classes. These experiences have helped me to learn more than the game of tennis: balance, commitment, nutrition, preparation and teamwork. More importantly, these experiences have helped me believe in myself and look at challenges as opportunities. I would like to encourage other girls and women to build confidence and work toward their
As I first joined the Prince George’s Tennis and Education Foundation tennis team, I was extremely pleased with the environment. I was met with friendly individuals and warm personalities from my peers and coaches alike. The coaches were exceptionally supportive, and I maintained a healthy, competitive relationship with my peers. Athletically, the PGTEF coaches were devoted to assisting the members of the team in comprehending
I was able to communicate efficiently between our players and the coach. I was able to bring a team of 2 to a full team of 22 players by the end of the season. I went from beinga coach, to business women, to a team mom and simply by the end of the season I am proud to say I am the captian of the Girls’ Mira Mesa Tennis
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
At age 7, I met this man, Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Jr., who started teaching me how to play tennis. He worked hard, and he got me to excel (Arthur Biography ¶5). By age 16, I appeared at the U.S. National Championships. Then eventually, I won a tennis scholarship to UCLA (Ashe Britannica ¶2) and won the NCAA doubles and singles title (Arthur Notable ¶1). In time I also got to play on a winning U.S. Davis Cup team (Evert ¶1), be the first African-American to win both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, and be the first African-American to be ranked Number one in the world (Arthur Biography ¶1-2).
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
When I left middle school, I was extremely frightened. Coming from Magnolia, I only knew about 5% of my classmates and I didn’t know them that well because I went to Piney Grove Elementary School. The only thing I knew when I got to St. Pauls High School was that I did not want to be the same person I was in middle school. The person I was in middle was self absorbed and constantly trying to be better than everyone. Upon entering high school, I knew I had to do something, anything to make a change. At Freshman Orientation, the tennis coach was searching for some girls to plays. I had never played tennis, but I knew it was my chance to make friends and have
A few years ago I was training to be professional tennis player at one of India’s top tennis academies. I had been playing tennis only for ten months when my tennis coach suggested I participate in the upcoming national level fastest serve tennis tournament. There was a fear in me, a fear of facing the more skilled, experienced, and accomplished competition, yet my mind wanted to overcome that fear and trust my coach and ten months of training. My coach had immense faith in my abilities to perform well, but being the underdog, I lacked the confidence to compete alongside top ranked players. As the tournament date grew closer, I found myself battling between two paths - give in to my fear and surrender any chance of winning, or escape my comfort
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
After joining the girls’ tennis team at Hazleton Area High School, I unexpectedly took over the top position. Despite my individual
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
Always willing to adapt to any given situation, I aspire to make things as convenient as possible for everyone. I have been an avid team member the varsity tennis team all throughout my high school years. Consistently playing mixed doubles with my partners all being upperclassmen, I had reached the point where I became the partner-less upperclassman. In need of a new partner, my coach and I discussed potentials, but reached no solid conclusion. Aware of a new tennis team member, an incoming sophomore, my coach turned to me as a guide and mentor to help him feel comfortable.
The secret to doubles tennis is to find the right partner: one who compliments your game. Excelling at doubles tennis was hardly dependent on how hard I could strike the ball or how fast I was. What were important were good teamwork and an understanding of the game. Finding someone who complements your game is never an easy task but by building on these skills, my doubles partner and I were successful varsity tennis players.
My journey on my high school tennis team has been a peculiar one. Going into my freshman year I was touted as one the stellar players, one who was on the path straight to varsity. Unfortunately, I tore one of the ligaments in my right wrist and was sidelined for the months right before the tennis season. Going into my season, my confidence was low, I was worried about making the junior varsity team. I would end up making JV but not varsity. The next year I was back with more determination. Injury free, I had high expectations but lacked confidence. As I entered try-outs, I was shocked. My teammates were waiting for me. Each one of them came up to me and told me that they knew I was going to play this year, and that I was going to live up to
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.
I asked Emma Nuzzi what she thought her biggest accomplishment was, she replied with “I would say becoming a very good tennis player.” Emma Nuzzi started playing tennis at age twelve, which she thinks was a late age. When Emma was in the seventh grade she told her gym teacher that she wanted to play tennis she then replied to Nuzzi with “Maybe.”, this did not encourage Emma at the time because her gym teacher was the varsity tennis coach. Emma did not let this get to her too much because she practiced and became the player that she is today.