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A Matter of Fitness
For the past two weeks, my son has been going to his high school tennis team tryouts after school and drills. Given the individual nature of his sport, the idea of trying out for a team is a relatively new concept for my son. And, the idea of playing matches without worrying about ranking points is completely foreign to him. Thankfully, his coach gave him a handout spelling out the do’s and don’ts when trying out for a school team. My favorite tip is:
- Act like a champion, dress like a tennis player. Be physically and mentally prepared. Take care of all details in preparation that are under your control. Intangibles are frequently the difference between winning and losing.
One of the reasons my son wanted to return to traditional school this year, instead of continuing with homeschooling, was to play on the school’s varsity tennis team. He knew a few of the guys on last year’s team and knew he would fit in and have a great time competing with them.
We live in a very tennis-heavy suburb of Atlanta with loads of talented junior players. Competition at the high school level can be tough. As a freshman, I wasn’t so sure my son would make the varsity team this year, so I tried to help him stay focused on presenting himself to the coach (who also coaches football) and other team members as a kid who really wanted to be part of the team and who would work hard to ensure a successful season.
The first day of tryouts, my son was told to play another freshman from his academy in two short sets, beginning at 3-all. My son won. The next day, he had to play a talented senior, and, again, won. Yesterday was the final day of tryouts. On the way to the courts, I reminded him, in that loving but unnecessary way that we mothers have (!), to be respectful to the coach and other players and to say “thank you, Coach” at the end of the session. Apparently, my son did a good job because he found out at the end of yesterday’s tryouts that he, along with 4 other boys from his academy, made the team!
So, now, I get to learn about the world of high school tennis from the Booster Club perspective. The coach told the team that there would be a kick-off dinner meeting and that the parents should bring their checkbooks. Cha-ching! Oh, and GO RAIDERS!
