I Have to Play Tonight?

Less than 1 day after my proclamation that I would be taking a "vaca" from tennis, I received a last minute phone call at almost 5 p.m. today asking me to play a 6:30 p.m. USTA Women's Combo match. Despite the late notice, I couldn't say no - I had previously committed. All my plans for the evening immediately went up in smoke. My 6:30 match turned into a mini-marathon - lasting more than 2 hours. I was really looking forward to the end of my long weekend being topped off with a one day break between tennis and work. A nice day of rest. No dice. Now, I'm tired all over again and my week is just beginning. Geez!

It Wasn't Meant to Be

The team needed a lot of things to happen to make it beyond the regular season. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Our season ended today with a 1-4 loss. Although the season ended sooner than we would have liked, I think we can all be proud of just how competitive we were for the majority of the season. We proved to ourselves that we could compete at a higher level. My ladies were great! 3-peating as ALTA City Champion is tough, and while we weren't able to 3-peat, I know we will be back in the City Championship match again. We have all summer to work on our weaknesses, I'm sure this will result in improvements during the fall season.

Personally, I'm planning to reduce the amount of tennis I play this summer. There are some other things that require my attention, but that doesn't mean you won't hear me chime in about some random match here or there. As long as there are courts and players willing to play, I'll be somewhere in the mix.

Chequetta

Ahhh, This is the Life!!!

Today was my day to enjoy watching others play tennis. I'm a fan of the game, so I like to watch just as much as I like to play. Supporting my friends' teams is something I do as often as possible. With the hectic schedule I had for the past month, playing a supportive fan has been somewhat difficult this season. This was the first Saturday I was able to get out to a men's match, and it was a great choice - if I may say so. The weather was absolutely beautiful for Atlanta - mid 80's and no humidity (imagine that). I wasn't about to sit in my house, let alone one with a busted air conditioner, on such a lovely day. Since it was warmer in my house than outside, going to a tennis match was a no brainer. I picked up a few beverages, drove to the courts, set up my lawn chair under a shady oak tree, and kicked back with good friends to pass the time. It's leisurely days and ocassions such as this when my love of tennis, and all that it has brought into my life is truly appreciated. For me, this is the life.

Is It Meant to Be?

While I'm not trying to get overly religious on any of you, I truly believe that things happen the way they're supposed to happen. If something is meant to be, then it will be. No matter how many options there are to select from, or the changes that are made, the outcome has been determined. We may not know what the outcome will be, or how things will play out to allow a predetermined result to come to fruition, but that's life and fate.

Truthfully, that's tennis as well.

"Whatever limits us, we call fate." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Orderly Pursuits

Okay, this is serious business. I absolutely must pursue the creation of some sense of order in my space. I have four consecutive days off. Thank God! There is no travel planned, and limited tennis until Sunday. Spring is here, and that means it's time for a fresh new start when it comes to organization. I refuse to be distracted. Beyond my rescheduled tennis practice tomorrow, I have no plans to do anything, except immerse myself in my pursuit of order. I won't rest until I have achieved my goal. The clock is ticking, and I plan to rest up tonight because tomorrow I begin.

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Let's Get 'Er Done!

Now that my body has recovered from my marathon match against the Golden Girls, I'm ready to play. Practice is tomorrow, and it's the teams last chance to work out any kinks before our final regular season ALTA match on Sunday. It's pretty much do or die so we might want to get 'er done! If we don't, then the possibility of us being done for the season is strong.

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What a Jam!

The division standings for my ALTA league have been partially updated, and viewing them has left me a little concerned. My team has gotten itself into a bit of a jam. Unfortunately, we are now very dependent upon the performance of other teams, or rather, the failure of other teams to perform. While we are relying upon others to fail, we've also put ourselves in a situation that now requires us to put up our best scores of the season. That's not good, and it's definitely not the position we want to be in at this point of the season. If I thought last Sunday was tough, then this Sunday won't be any easier. I may as well get ready to battle and leave it all on the court.

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My Senior Moment

I've been on the courts, but I haven't been blogging....for shame. Well, I'm back. Life got really hectic for a while - shoot, my life is still hectic, but I can't put the blog on hold any longer to wait for my life to slow down. It may never slow down, so I have to get back to it.

I'm recovering today and completely out of it. My body is still aching after this weekend's doubles match. Yesterday's match had to be the worst I've played - EVER! Mentally, I was shot out. Off the court events that I encountered in my captain role had me in a tizzy, and it showed in my player role. My partner and I played two senior citizens who gave me (yes, just me) fits. Now I know why I hate playing senior citizens. I shouldn't just limit it to seniors, but that's who was on the court yesterday and those are the players who know how to make us younger players work while they stand and place using their racquets like they are knives - just slicing everything that comes their way.

I don't know how we won, but somehow my partner and I perservered and escaped with the ugliest victory of the season. I was glad and probably lucky to get off the court with a win. I'm sure my racquet was just as glad since it suffered the brunt of my abuse. I'll definitely have to play better next Sunday, or I could find myself sitting at home while some other team moves on to the playoffs. I'll spend this week recuperating, practicing and mentally preparing for my next tennis court battle. I'm certain it will be a battle so I may as well be prepared.

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