Bill’s Page
A CTA story written by coach Bill….
This is what it is all about
They are growing up so quickly. Both about 15-16 now. Physically so different than just a few years ago. John and Kathleen have been playing each other in clinics now off and on since they were much smaller. Back then Kathleen – athletic, highly skilled, competitive and hugely consistent – would generally outplay and wear down everyone she played (boy or girl) including John. Back then he was roughly the same size with many of the same qualities as Kathleen without the hugely consistent part. It was always fun to watch those great points. Two quality kids (both as players and people) but Kathleen would almost always win. And, of course, there was no sympathy for John and maybe some quiet satisfaction. Kind of like a little sister being able to beat her big brother. The kind of relationship you see kids develop sometimes that enriches both their lives – something you can’t manufacture or purchase.
The last few years Kathleen has only been around every so often as she lives an hour away and plays a lot of tournaments on weekends. But whenever she comes down to play she is always considered part of the ‘family’ by our players and coaches – as if she were here all the time. The last two weeks she and John were at it again. Kathleen of course is still competitive, consistent, tough to beat and accomplished as a player. John again has all of those same qualities, but with one big difference – he is now huge! With size 13+ shoes, perhaps six feet tall, all muscle and no body fat, John is a force.
It was interesting, as always, to watch them play again. They went at it, as always, with the competitive intensity of two prizefighters. John was playing great – hitting huge serves, getting to every ball, attacking all the time and very rarely making errors. Every so often he would look up at me and say; ‘I’m really feeling it today!’ with that grin he always has when he is loving life – like when you take a big lab puppy to the park and let him play in the lake and roll in the dirt. He was absolutely killing Kathleen but never once thought about letting up, except to make sure he never hit her with the ball. Like a big brother would be looking out for his sister.
I never really knew how lopsided the score was until after it was over (it was something like 13-2). And that is why I am taking the time to write this down. Because in junior tennis what I witnessed yesterday – I happened to watch most of that round – is truly rare and special. Not because John was playing well, but because Kathleen was totally engaged, focussed and competitive the entire time. Without knowing the score you would think these two were at 6-6 in the third. Kathleen never backed down, never dropped her shoulders, kept fighting for every point, occasionally was hitting some great shots, and never missed unless she was forced to (which she often was). Because I know her so well, though, towards the end I did detect that sad look on her face she gets when she is getting beat. She clearly hates to lose, as all great competitors do. Sensing this as they finished shaking hands (which John made the point to initiate) I told Kathleen that there were three things she needed to keep in mind. First that she just got some great practice. Second, that she will never have to play anyone that can play like that in the girls’ 16s. And most important, that her ability to fight and to compete regardless of the player or situation makes her a very special player.
As she walked away, needing a few minutes to collect herself mentally, John walked over to me and said that he couldn’t believe how Kathleen never gave up and played so hard. He mentioned that he couldn’t think of anyone else that could have (or would have) been able to do that. I made a mental note to remind him of this the next time someone is kicking his butt!
As a coach in junior tennis I sometimes have parents (and occasionally other pros) ask why I consider junior tennis worth doing. There is often so much dysfunction: overemotional parents, spoiled kids, shallow coaches, etc. Sometimes, on tough days, I ask the same thing of myself. But when I can walk out on the court on an average Saturday of clinic, watch the drama unfold, and see what I see in kids like John and Kathleen I become inspired to stay tough, keep competing, work hard and deal with adversity. I aspire to have the qualities that John and Kathleen showed me on Saturday. I realize that it will always be worth doing.
-Bill Schillings, November 2007
