For Tennis Parents by a Tennis Parent

My son’s high school team is playing in the Georgia State Semifinals today.  If they win, they will take a short break then play the Finals.  It’s a Big Day for these boys, one they’ve been working toward since mid-January . . . but really since the time they each picked up a racquet and hit that first fuzzy yellow ball.

As I’ve talked about in previous posts (see “We” Won), the idea of TEAM is kind of a strange one in a sport that truly focuses on individual effort, individual training, individual competition.   But, I feel very strongly that the lessons my son is learning through team participation will help him become not only a better tennis player but also a better human being.  As Janis Meredith so beautifully put it in her JBMThinks blog, there are 5 characteristics of a strong team player:

1.  Recognizing and accepting differences

2.  Knowing how to play to his strengths

3.  Fighting for a common cause

4.  Laughing with his teammates

5.  Having his teammates’ backs

These are the characteristics that I love seeing in my son.  These are the characteristics that I hope he continues to develop and take into adulthood.  These are the characteristics that I hope he passes along to his own children some day.

Good luck, Raiders, and good luck to all the other team players out there!

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