National Senior Women's Tournament Indoor

I just got back from Chicago where I played another national tournament. This one was one of the four Category I tournaments that are offered each year in each age category. It is my goal to win a Category I tournament.

However, this time, that goal was unrealized.

Chicago seems to be a bad luck town for me.

Nothing went devastatingly wrong, but nothing went overwhelmingly right either.

The highlight of the tournament (which included a full blown asthma attack, being told by my great-grandmother that my "booty was growing bigger everyday", not having the strings I wanted to have in my racquet, and being stood up by my hitting partners before matches) was a fifth place finish in doubles.

But there were other highlights, like playing doubles against the most amazing 51-year old player ever! Mary Dailey won World's a few years ago and I strive to be like her every time I hit the court now and hope to be like her when I hit the court in the years to come. She is quick and smart and so incredibly cool. Her footwork is amazing and she's always so nice to me. From day one, she's talked to me like I belonged there.

My brother, Luther, went with me this time and it was so good to know that he was watching me and cheering me on.

My second loss in singles was a two-hour match where I only won two games! (To put it in perspective, my opening round match in VA was two hours and I played three sets!) So very long rallies that I couldn't come out on top of. But I am proud that I didn't feel tired during this match, so I know my fitness has improved. I had long rallies, so I know my consistency has improved.

There is so much to improve upon, but I can finally see improvement, too. And that is awesome.

So, as usual, it is back to work for me. Back to the gym, back to the court, back to training and eating right and playing hard and lessons and match play.

Stay tuned,
KS

National Senior Women's Tennis Association Championships, Alexandria, VA

Third place!

I worked hard for my first national tournament of the year. I ran when I didn't feel like it. I stretched when I didn't have time to. I lifted weights when I wanted nothing else but to take a nap. I played tennis. And I played tennis. And, OMG, I played tennis.

I played at match plays and at junior clinics and adult clinics. I set up matches. When I couldn't find a match, I was on the ball machine.

For hours...

I can't imagine working any harder.

I thought, if I worked as hard as I possibly can on the things I can control and relax about the things I can't, I would be okay.

I couldn't control the fact that I live in Michigan who didn't have a single day of good weather for me to get a feel for outside tennis before I embarked on my trip to VA. I couldn't control the fact that most places with clay around here won't open until Memorial Day. I couldn't control the fact that usually I am beyond my spring asthma/allergy/bronchitis flare up by this point, but because of the prolonged cold winter, I fully expected my spring "symptoms" to materialize at any moment like that zit that likes to pop up the day before picture day.

I had a tense week with the husband before leaving. He knows me well and kept saying, I think you are thinking too much about your tournament. Relax.

I didn't tell any of my friends about the tournament because I felt ready. And it's weird, but I felt like saying that I knew that I was playing good tennis and saying that I was doing all the right things would somehow jinx me. I was scared to fail after telling everyone, "I am playing the best I have ever played right now." So, I didn't say anything. I just want to do it.

My first match at the Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, VA went on thirty minutes late. Sometimes that works for me and sometimes it works against me. The jury is still out on how that affected me. It was an afternoon match and instead of getting up early to hit, I slept in a bit and took my time getting to the club. I am usually in tune with my body and I just felt I had done enough and I needed to relax.

When I got on court, still having not been outside to hit or on clay, I felt okay. The warm up against my lefty opponent was uneventful, except for a brief thought that I should have hooked up with my lefty pal, Sarah, before I left and played out some points.

The match started and I think I blinked or sneezed or something but somehow I found myself down 0-5 in a matter of minutes. I do remember early, altering my game plan. I didn't want to power hit against this strong player, but I could not move. I couldn't be consistent. I couldn't get a serve in. Or a return in. I was missing out calls. Playing balls that were a foot or two out.

I couldn't believe all the hard work was coming down to this, a first round loss. I had done that plenty of times with a lot less pre-tournament work. I could have cried.

I looked at my mom.

And then I relaxed. Later, she told me, she was praying that I relaxed before I got too discouraged. She said she just felt once I got acclimated to my surroundings, I would be okay.

I quickly toweled off, drank a little water and went to collect the balls to serve that sixth game. My first serve was a nice serve with a lot or spin that felt confident. My opponent missed the ball long. I held at 40-luv and then broke her serve. I lost the eighth game, but I knew I had her.

2-6, 6-2, 6-1.

It was one of the best matches of my tennis life. It is one thing to tell yourself you can come back from a deficit, but to actually do it, is a different matter. To first gather myself after the first set loss and to tell myself that I was going to win the second set. And then to tell myself, I was going to win the third set. It took a self-belief that I didn't know I had.

This was the first major tournament where I managed to stay in the main draw the entire time, losing in the semi-finals to the number one seed.

But it was that first match that set the stage. It was the first match that I am looking to revisit in my head when I need a boost on the court in the future. I think it's important to have tennis memories, memories that you can pull out as reference in appropriate times, so your mind and body both know, I've been here before and I prevailed.

And I have an awesome one from my trip to VA.

Stay tuned,
KS.

Updating...

I played a tennis tournament this weekend and ended up playing my practice partner in the second round. As much as I loathe losing, when I can lose and clearly see improvement in my game and see the areas that I need to work on, while still able to maintain the belief that those deficient areas are areas that I can improve on, it is a good loss!

I’d been playing this seventeen year old kid twice a week since my ankle healed. Sometimes we have good practices. Sometimes, the fatigue of a week of school (or work) catches up to us and the intensity drops. I was excited to play her in a competitive environment though. And it lived up to my expectations.

Aside from the facts that one, I lack confidence in some of the shots I was becoming quite proficient at before my ankle injury and two, I am so sorely out of shape since there was little I could do with the ankle injury and moping and feeling sorry for myself and eating cookies seemed like a rational solution to my injury woes at the time, and three, it has been eight months since I played a competitive match, I left the match believing that I will get better.

There are always times when you play a match and you can say to yourself, I will never be as good as that person. So, you get down on yourself and maybe you don’t train as hard the next time around, figuring what’s the point? As much as I know that to be a mistake, I have yet to find a way to combat the after lost-match blues.

At any cost, there are things to work on before the next national (May 15^th), but I am just grateful to be in a good mental place right now. I love when I can finish a tournament and be inspired to train harder and practice more. I am looking forward to the next month of hard work on the court and in the gym.

Look for me to update some of my favorite footwork drills, soon.

Stay tuned,

KS

Not Taking Life For Granted

Okay, so it's been awhile since I blogged.

I needed to take some time away from tennis. Not that I actually felt burnt out, but I could see it happening if I kept up at the insane pace I did this summer. I committed to very little tennis-wise and the things I did commit to, I did so under substitute circumstances. That way, if I did get to the point where I was rolling my eyes or groaning whenever I looked at my calendar and saw that there was tennis scheduled for that day.

And it worked. For the first time in a long time, I actually was very excited about my hockey season. I started running again, both to stay in shape and to outdo this guy from Denver who keeps popping up in all my Nike running challenges and talking trash. During this hiatus for tennis, I played now and then outside, trying to soak up the last few days of good Michigan weather. I attended a few tennis where my primary goal was laughing with my friends and seeing if I could hit a tweener or just how high I could launch a moonball. Thoughts about going to the next National 30s tournament, plans I was pretty committed to at the beginning of the summer, faded to the back of my mind.

I settled into a very needed routine, a balanced one. Getting up shortly after my boyfriend left for work. Running, alternating between long run days and sprint workouts at the local high school's track. (Not the very local high school because there's a conspiracy to keep the southern half of the township fat and lazy by denying them access to the track and tennis courts for exercise. But perhaps that topic deserves it's own post.) Cleaning the house and eating breakfast and then settling into an afternoon of writing.

The routine brought me much needed sanity and most of my life, especially lately, I think my whole life's purpose is to find the fountain of sanity. At any cost, for the first time, in a few years, things felt okay.

My uncle died this past Saturday. And although I just met him and the rest of my mom's family three years ago, I found myself as reflective as I was when I finally came to some sort of terms with my dad's death. I guess death causes you to think about things. The biggest thing I took from my own father's death is that I didn't want to wait for things. I wanted to do them or make them happen if there were obstacles in my way of doing them.

I write because I want to know that if I dropped dead tomorrow, I did so trying for something I always wanted to do. People say to me all the time, I've always wanted to write a book. When the kids grow up... When I get some time off of work... When I retire...

You've heard me say that my favorite quote is by George Eliot: "It's never too late to become what you might have been."

Well, that's why I play tennis despite picking up a racquet merely ten years ago. I am going to be that national champion that I could have been. Sure, it won't be as a college student. But I will win a national championship.

At any cost, I have decided that I am going to the Clay Court Nationals at the end of the month. Too many times, I focus so much on what is not going on with me, I fail to acknowledge the things that are going on; the support of Mark, the encouragement of friends, the extra time and attention so many people have shown me to help me realize my dreams.

And I think to myself, what am I waiting for?

Stay tuned...
KS

One, Two, Three...

7 matches in 36 hours! I am surprised that I didn't have to be propped up to take this picture. 3rd place in the 30s Singles division. Not too bad!

Because of the small draws in all of the divisions, play did not begin until Saturday morning. I spent the night with relatives in a suburb northwest of Chicago, so Saturday morning I had a two hour drive to the tournament site. I wanted to use the time driving to the match to focus on my goals. I participated in three divisions of the Midwest Adult Championships; women's 30s singles, women's open singles and women's open doubles. For the open divisions, I simply wanted to play the best tennis I was capable of against the younger, harder hitting opponents I was likely to be facing. With my league teams advancing to the playoffs, I wanted to be able to play this boot-camp style tennis, getting as many matches in as possible before next weekend. In the 30s event, I wanted to win as many matches as possible in order to earn ranking points because this event would add points to my national ranking.

There are times when despite your best efforts, it may not be meant for you to win. This is a lesson, I have resisted learning all season long. I went 18-3 this summer in singles during USTA league play and despite that being a very good record, I have focused on the losses, obsessed about the failures and generally beat myself up afterwards for 'what went wrong'. Of the three losses, realistically, there was only one match where the outcome was within my control. But I have really taken losses hard this year.

So Saturday, despite my best intentions, did not start the way I would have liked it to. I was sick to my stomach on the drive to the match. When I got to the tournament site, because of the rain, play had been moved inside and 9 o'clock matches were put on as soon as both players arrived at the indoor facility. So mentally prepared for a 9 o'clock start, I was not prepared to go on at 8:15. And even though my stomach had settled, butterflies began to return. I hadn't had a chance to eat because of the upset stomach. The day before I had practiced under the same circumstances of not eating and had gotten extremely dizzy ten minutes into the drills, so the thought of not eating occupied my mind during the five minute warm-up.

I started the match by losing my service game. I managed to hang in the match for the next six games before I was broken again. My opponent never lost her serve. In the beginning of the second set, I began to notice slight cramping, but it never really affected my play, so I ignored it, instead trying to keep my goal in mind; play the best points I can. I was happy with my first round loss, because I was happy with my play.

Then came my second match, one hour after my first one finished...

The cramping was almost immediate. Despite having come close to ODing on potassium, both pills and bananas, and chugging gatorades one after the other, nothing would alleviate the cramping. By the second set of a 1-6, 0-6 loss, I couldn't even manage to swing at balls that were merely a foot away. There was a huge indentation in the bicep of my hitting arm that formed a near perfect 'V' in the middle. After the match when I went to stand on my toes, several of them curled like the ribbons on a birthday present. Never had I experienced something like that and on top of everything, I had lost my opening match in the 30s singles, the one event where I wanted to win.

Eventually, the cramping went away. The bananas and the pills begin to do their jobs and I was able to play a third singles match and a doubles match that afternoon without incident.

I've talked about my doubles partner before, a thirteen-year old who is preparing to play pro events next year when she turns 14 in order to be exposed to hard hitting players. I've watched her a lot this summer demolishing some players and losing to others with obvious less talent. I always ask her what happened after her losses and she always responds with the same smile and shrug. I admire how the losses never stick with her. But when talking to her and her father, I understand; win or lose, the goals are being met; being aggressive on points, hitting a good, deep, hard ball. Her success isn't measured in wins or losses.

I started playing tournaments to improve my game. I wanted to hit with people who hit the ball hard. I wanted to find the best competition and do my best while competing. There was a time when that meant success for me, when I was just happy to be on a court playing an opponent who hit with pace and didn't junk up every single shot that came my way.

I left the tournament late Sunday afternoon having won 3 matches and loss 4. I was runner up in the Open Consolation Singles Finals, third place in 30s singles, and 2nd place with Ty Ana in Open doubles.

I got to drive two hours by myself to my relatives to pick up my mom and my nephew before heading home. During that alone time, I reflected on my tournament.

I really do love playing these tournaments. I'd been on the fence about attending the National 30s Clay Court tournament in Florida in November. There's the expense, the lack of experience on clay, and my plunging confidence. But Sunday, I felt renewed.

The first goal is to do my part in getting one of my playoff bound teams to nationals! To do that, I need to just play the best tennis I am capable of, not worrying about who is on the other side of my net. My mom often reminds me that my opponent is not on the other side of the net. My opponent is in my head.

My second goal is to prepare for the Midwest Open Series tournament in Cincy at the end of August. That is a time for me to play my best and have fun with Ty Ana.

My third goal is to prepare for the next sectional tournament which is the first weekend in October.

One, Two, Three...

Stay tuned,
KS

Tournaments for the Adult Player

Travelling this weekend with my doubles partner for the Saint Joseph's Fall Open tournament, I realized that there are probably adults out there who would like to play tournaments but are intimidated, never having done them before.

For a first timer, I would recommend a local tournament. This would give a newbie a good overview of what to expect without having to deal with the many things that could go wrong and infringe on the player's focus on playing, which is the whole reason for attending a tournament.

Many local clubs offer small, unsanctioned tournaments. By unsanctioned, I mean, the tournaments are not necessarily run by USTA guidelines and they will not count toward any kind of standings or rankings. Local Parks and Rec departments also offer tournaments sometimes. The best way to find out about these tournaments are to contact your nearest club and ask to speak to the pro in charge of adult programs.


Tournaments that are USTA-sanctioned can be found at the website: www.usta.com/tennislink/default.aspx

Or call your local USTA section office. For Southeastern Michigan, the number is 734-421-1025.

Potential tournament players can use the website to search for tennis tournaments in their area based on gender, age, playing surface, etc.

Before attending any tournament that I am not familiar with, I usually like to send an email to the tournament director, asking for answers to any questions I may have: hotel recommendations, expected size of the draw, starting times for play, etc.

After all my questions are answered and I've decided to do the tournament, I sign up using the online system if it is USTA-sanctioned tournament or by registering over the phone with the tournament director if it is not a USTA-sanctioned tournament.

Most tournaments will often only have the starting time for your first match only. Make sure you know when you are scheduled to play. Failure to show up on time can result in being defaulted! Tournament directors sometimes will use discretion in some cases, i.e. you are travelling from another state, but they are not required to and in cases of USTA-sanctioned tournaments, if you are not on the court fifteen minutes after your scheduled start time, it is a default!

Know what time you have to check in. Check-in is thirty minutes before your start time for most matches. Once you are checked in, DO NOT LEAVE THE IMMEDIATE AREA. Once you are checked-in, the tournament director can put you on court if a court becomes available. This is done to keep the matches moving. Many things like weather, long matches, etc., can cause delays so if the opportunity to put a match on early arises, most directors will do that.

Make sure you take snacks with you to the tournament site. Just as tournaments can run ahead of schedule, they can run behind. There's nothing worse than planning to play at noon, but not going on until 1:30 and then finding yourself hungry in the middle of your warm up!

If you are a string-breaker, have an extra set of strings on you so that, if you think you can't make the rest of the tournament with the racquets you have left, you can get the one racquet restrung.

Bring something to read or an I-pod. There is often a lot of downtime between matches where you don't necessarily want to leave the site.

Bring towels and plenty of water. For tournaments that are outdoors, sometimes they don't provide water. I like to have a big cooler in my car with a couple of gallons of water sitting in ice so that I can refill my water jug as needed. If it is hot, soaking a towel in a baggie of ice water is a good idea. It can provide quick relief on changeovers.

Bring a change of clothes. (It can't hurt.)

If the tournament is outdoors, bring a chair. Sometimes theres not a lot of places to sit or the seats available are in the sun.

It is common to have roving umpires at most tournaments. They are not there to interfere with play, call lines or harass you. Their job is to make sure play is continuous, overrule any obvious bad calls and they will call foot faults.

Most USTA-sanctioned tournaments will utilize single sticks for the singles matches. These sticks make the net regulation, but for people not use to playing with them, they can be a distraction, if you weren't expecting them.

Most importantly, have fun! It's so cool to play people outside your normal hitting circle. It helps your game and can provide that freshness to the sport when league play becomes stale.