Lessons Learned From Tennis

1153 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Various art of communication are

It is 1:30 AM, Thursday morning; I have finally completed the mid-term project for my Data Structures and Algorithms class. I close my laptop, remove the contact lenses from my eyes and place them in the lens container, turn off the bedroom light, and go to bed.

“BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!” The time is now 5:00 AM. Struggling to open my eyes, I blindly search for the snooze button on my alarm clock. As soon as I hit the snooze button, I hear Caitlin yelling, “Get up Aki! Let’s go! Coach is going to kill us if we are late!” My friend, Caitlin, who was also my roommate and doubles partner had managed to awaken me with her loud warnings to get ready for our 5:30 AM Thursday training session. Thinking back now, I am convinced that the definition of teamwork can only be accurately portrayed at 5:00 AM. Sleep-deprived, mentally and physically exhausted, I walk with Caitlin to the UMKC Sweeney Athletic Center and join the Women’s Tennis Team for an intense training session. I had officially started my day. My schedule for the rest of the day included Computer Science classes, a 3 hour long tennis practice, and several hours of homework before bedtime. Grueling days, such as the one described above, were the norm throughout my college years. My commitment to tennis was a continuous challenge; however, I played because the sport gave me friendship, success, failure, and above all structure in my life. Tennis has been instrumental in shaping who I am today.

Born in Hyderabad, India and raised in Irvine, California, I had the opportunity to experience two distinct cultures. In the Indian culture girls are expected to excel in academics and groom themselves into eventually becoming “marriageable” mater...

... middle of paper ...

...ning hours to complete my school work. Coffee and time were precious commodities for me in college. Although managing my overwhelming number of commitments proved to be challenging, I am grateful for the structure and discipline that tennis had instilled in me during my college years. Tennis has also given me the opportunity to be part of a team with a common goal. While pushing each other in practices and matches, my teammates and I had developed a strong sense of camaraderie both on and off the court.

I am grateful for my relationship to tennis and the life the sport has given me. The unique blend of lessons learned from tennis, my family, my culture, and the various situations and people I have encountered have shaped who I am today. I hope to share these lessons and my unique experiences with the student body of Northwestern University and the EECS group.

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Personal Best By Atul Gawande

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Years of playing the game and not improving, Gawande incidentally finds himself play tennis with a young man who is a tennis couch. The young man gives Gawande a tip about keeping his feet under his body when hitting the ball. At first he is uncertain, stating, “My serve had always been the best part of my game….. With a few minutes of tinkering, he’d added at least ten miles an hour to my serve. I was serving harder than I ever had in my life” (Gawande, 2011, p.3).

    Read More

  • The Determined Victor Jimmy Connors

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jimmy worked like a demon to make up for the difference. By age 8, Jimmy was skillful enough to enter into tournaments, and he made a good showing in them. Jimmy did not win his first tournament until he was in the ten-year-old competition. The losses only gave him determination and the wins only gave humbleness. Jimmy Connors, a paragon of all sorts, had an unconquerable spirit. Jimmy knew that he had to be himself out on the tennis courts if he wanted to succeed. At times in Jimmy’s career, he was known as a spoiled brat for his cocky attitude. He was often called “mouth”. He had this spirit ever since he was a young boy. Being the smaller kid of his age group, he had to have something to hold onto.

    Read More

  • Free College Admissions Essays: Learning from Mistakes

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, I was always an optimist and tried to convince myself that I could defeat him (Yeah right!). We approached the table and shook hands. In the few initial minutes, we warmed up, just casually rallying the ball around, but even then he was playing better tennis than I ever had. The coach then blew his whistle which concluded the warm up and signaled the commencement of the match. At this point in time, I tried to swallow all the fear and anxiety that I had and to face my opponent valiantly and courageously. The match began and before I had fully realized, he had won the first game 21-05. He had won it with the utmost ease, returning even my best shots without any struggles or even remote difficulty. I tried not to feel discouraged, saying to myself that he still had two more games to win and that I would not give in without a fight.

    Read More

  • Arthur Ashe

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    A young African-American boy walks onto some rundown tennis courts at a local park with his father in Richmond, VA. Armed with an old wooden racket and a can of white tennis balls, his father begins to feed him some different shots and tells his son everything he knows about tennis. Being an African-American, this young boy did not have many friends that were as interested in tennis as he was. Since tennis is a predominantly white sport, Arthur Ashe’s desire to play was not encouraged by either race, but instead of giving up on the sport he loved, he continued playing to the dismay of many. Little did Ashe know, however, that his persistence would change the game forever. His efforts opened doors for many of the popular African-American tennis players, such as Serena and Venus Williams, MaliVai Washington, and Bryan Shelton. The class that he brought to the game of tennis and the bravery he showed by changing a sport dominated by whites made Arthur Ashe a legend in his own time.

    Read More

  • Tennis: The History Of The Sport Of Tennis

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tennis is a sport that most people don’t normally think about on a daily basis. The first thing that comes to mind is that it’s a boring sport for those in a higher class or somewhere off in the depths of France or Britain. Even so, the history of tennis is something that is quite interesting and the games involved can be profound. How did the sport of tennis come to be? Are there any variations of the sport? How has the equipment changed throughout the years? Why is tennis still around today? All of these have piqued interest at some point with a great amount of people, with the latter being the most interested question.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Literacy Narrative Tennis

    2244 Words  | 5 Pages

    I earned a spot on varsity. Being on varsity gave me my first taste of truly competitive tennis. Usually during practices, we would be separated from the other girls not on varsity, and our coach would run special drills with us. Tennis is an energy demanding sport. Matches usually started around 8, although sometimes I had to wake up at 4 because of a long drive, and depending on how many teams were at the tournament, could end late in the evening, one day we didn’t finish until around 9pm. By this time in my tennis career, I knew all the rules of tennis inside and out. I would frequently help the players on the team newer to the sport with scoring, knowing where to stand to serve, and what grips to hold their rackets in. It was fun to teach them because they never would have guessed that there could be so many different ways to grip the racket, or angles to hit the

    Read More

  • Application for Columbia University

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    Balancing school with practice was also a challenge, but participating in one of my passions made it worthwhile. I have persevered through difficult times and learned new lessons along the way, so there is nothing that could make this sport less meaningful to me. 148. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Please tell us what you found meaningful about one of the above mentioned books, publications or cultural events.

    Read More

  • Arranging A Marriage In India By Serena Nanda

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Arranging a Marriage in India” by Serena Nanda is a well written, informative article aimed at sharing the view of the Indian culture on arranged marriages and also showing how much effort is put into the process of arranging a marriage. Our own culture has evolved into accepting the fact that we are all independent individuals who could not imagine having someone else make such a significant decision for us. Serena Nanda does an excellent job of using her sources within the society as evidence of the acceptance of the arranged marriage aspect of their culture.

    Read More

  • Differences Between Indian and American Culture

    1474 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first difference between American culture and Indian culture is marriage. A wedding is a great social event in our society, which establish a new bond between two individuals and families. Marriage is a joyful occasion with plenty of music, dance, partying and merrymaking. It also brings together a long-lost friends, relatives and acquaintances. In India, the parents choose the mate for their child, which is called an arranged marriage. In most cases, the bri...

    Read More

  • Finding Hope in Failure

    1820 Words  | 4 Pages

    "C'mon, Chris, you get in the shower first," Taylor ordered from the other bed. "You're already up." Chris conceded and worked his way to the shower. Everyone in the room knew it too, due to his grunting and whining under his breath. Soon enough he was out of the shower and so were Taylor, Anders, and I. We ate breakfast with the rest of the team downstairs in the hotel in silence. It was too early to talk or chat. Everyone knew that one thing was going to be on their minds: winning. It was not worth discussing, either. Everyone knew that our varsity eight was possibly the strongest that McCallie had ever had, and that we had a good chance of winning some gold medals that day, if not a great chance. We loaded on the bus like ants, noiselessly flowing into one little opening. The bus ride was silent all of the way over as well. Everyone's heads, looking intently forward, were slightly jostling along with the bumps in the road. Some tried to sleep, but the tension and excitement was too much for most of them to be successful.

    Read More

  • The Sport of Tennis

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tennis is a sport that many people love to play. It is not the hardest sport in the world to learn. When playing against someone, it is called a match. Tennis can be played one on one or a doubles match. The main object of the game is to hit the ball over the net, inside of the lines so that the opponent can't get to it. There are two lines about two feet parallel to each other that outline the court. In a singles match, the inner line is the out of bound line, while the outer line is out of bounds in a doubles match. If you want to play, take a look at my two favorite tennis players because they are masters at serving and scoring, a few key aspects of the game.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Benefits Of Playing Tennis

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    Peer relationships, obeying authority, and looking up to a role model, are all character traits that are learned through the practice of athletics. During a normal match of tennis, many mistakes will be made. However, these mistakes will be able to tell you the flaws in your swing and the ability to fix them and continue competing without getting frustrated. Tennis teaches the ability to handle mistakes and to use them to your advantages. Tennis teaches many positive characteristics that benefit the athlete in many areas of

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative Essay: My Love For Tennis

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    My love for tennis blossomed at the young age of eleven. During middle school my peers knew me as the boy who was remarkably talented at tennis and I savored that title. Butterflies floated throughout my youthful body whenever someone complimented me. As the years passed, my dad nurtured me into a top player. Before I knew it high school arrived and it was time to compete at a higher level. My excitement was out of this world, but I knew my dad could no longer push me forward and my future was up to me. However, the ego I developed over the years blocked what lie in front of me. I wasn’t looking at the bigger picture; the hard work demanded of me, teamwork, and the motivation to reach an ultimate goal. Throughout my four years of participating

    Read More

  • The Mysteries of Table Tennis

    1562 Words  | 4 Pages

    The ball comes toward me fast, faster than I expected, and I flail the paddle, hoping to connect and return the ball successfully. The ball smacks into the rubber, and the ball shoots back over the net. Right after the bounce, my opponent slices the ball, making it float slowly back to my side. This ball looks vulnerable and easy to hit, so I put all my energy into one drive, and the ball barely bypasses the net. There is topspin, and the ball curves downward. I mentally scream in joy, but that is short lived. With all my energy put into that drive, I am left unbalanced, and my opponent is able to return the ball. This time I’m not so lucky. The ball streaks past me like an orange shooting star. The point is his.

    Read More

  • Descriptive Essay On Volleyball Game

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was at this moment that I realized that there truly is no “I” in team. A team is not characterized by the individuals within, but rather what the individuals can come together to achieve. For so long I had tried to discover where I belonged on the team. In reality, I should have realized that from the moment I stepped on the court, I was already a member of the varsity team. With a newfound sense of strength, we continued the game. Every single point we won felt like we were putting our lives on the line, while every single point we lost felt like ten-ton chains were holding us down. Even so, it was just another volleyball game. One I had experienced on multiple occasions, perhaps not to the same magnitude, but it was a relatively familiar situation. Strangely, it felt different. I felt more relaxed, more confident, and I was having more fun. At the time, I was not sure what it came from. I was too focused on finishing out the game to pay it much attention. But reflecting on it now, I realize that without a doubt, it was because I truly felt like I belonged on the team. For the first time, I knew that my team was behind me, ready to help me up whenever I fell. We continued on with the game. Despite being down two sets to one at one point, we now found ourselves nearing victory in the fifth set. Finally, we were able to overcome the opponent to win the match three sets to two and secure the second SPC championship for Greenhill Boys Volleyball in three

    Read More

More about Lessons Learned From Tennis

Open Document