And I’m not sure who’s more nervous.
Wait. I’m lying. I do know. It’s me. Always me.
It’s weird though, because she played in three matches last season. Of those three matches, she and her doubles partner only won a single set. And the last match came down to a tie break. They lost the tie break, but man, we were SO proud of those girls.
Season one gave Mayhem some experience, but she was also very new to tennis. It was obvious she was having fun on the court, even though she was relying heavily on her partner for score keeping.
Funny thing about tennis – the kids aren’t allowed to be coached or encouraged in any way during the matches. As in, all adults have to keep their mouths shut the entire time. No help with the scoring, no help with making calls on whether or not a ball was in or out. No help on anything. Not from the parents. And not from the coaches.
The first time I heard this, I was like “this is probably definitely the wrong sport for our family”. Because I like to cheer. And I like to be encouraging. And it’s really hard for me to stay silent while my kid is playing.
I was also baffled on how the kids would learn anything when no one was able to help them. And to be perfectly honest, it still confuses me.
But Mayhem loves tennis. And she’s thriving. She has a pretty natural feel for the movements and she responds really well to coaching. Our summer was weeks and weeks of sleep, eat, tennis, swim, repeat. We play tennis on the courts and tennis in our driveway nearly every night. Now that school is back in, she takes lessons a couple of times each week.
Tennis is her thing. Or at least it will go down as her thing in 2017.
But back to today. Game day. Her first match of this season. I’m nervous for her because I’ve seen how far she’s come. I’m nervous for her because she’s playing with a different doubles partner. And I’m nervous for her because she’s once again playing as a seven-year-old in a ten and under league. The first time around felt like a getting acquainted season, but this time, it feels much more competitive.
She has what it takes to compete. Her head is definitely in the game and she’s got the scoring down too. And I’m confident that she’ll have fun no matter the score. In fact, she’s more worried about choosing the right outfit to wear than about playing.
I think the best thing I can possibly do to encourage her is keep my mouth shut and get out of her way.
Wish me luck – because I’m the one who needs it!
Mayhem’s look: [ jacket | top (sale) | shorts | shoes (sale) | racquet ]
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