Ron's Aunt Sally and Uncle Ralph attending a local West Bend Thunder little league game in late May!
Baseball, swimming, tennis...it's a great time of year for Wisconsinites after a long dreary "Sprinter" (my seasonal name for March, April and May.) I learned long ago, wearing fur parkas to Easter egg hunts and baseball games, that when it came to springtime, Wisconsin got the shaft from Mother Nature. In fact today, June 2nd, it didn't get above 55 degrees; talk about a gradual warming trend! But spring means baseball so regardless of the chilly conditions we gleefully participate in those recreational pursuits that symbolize time's passage, and often wear flip flops in flagrant contempt to the actual temperature.
Ron has been texting me all day with updates from Trey's West Bend Thunder tourney in Burlington, Wisconsin. As of now, 5:59pm, the team is 15-0 this season and 4-0 in the tourny. Unfortunately they are losing this championship match. My most recent text informs me Trey is now on the mound. Trey has not pitched once this season, he's not their go-to pitcher, but this afternoon coach decides it is time for a pinch pitcher! Kudos to Auburn for spending two days, 5 games, and 1 hotel room with Ron, Grandma Larson, Trey and his entire 4th grade Thunder team! In addition they made a special trip to Kohls for blankets this cold morning. To mock Mother Nature however, rather than purchase blankets they bought 3 giant beach towels for warmth, just in time for pseudo swim season! Congrats to the Thunder for being great sports and taking second place in the Burlington tourny.
As much as I enjoy watching my kids' play sports I do not have the parental sports gene that confirms my seat at every event. Although I want to serve my time in the concession stands (horrors); and love conducting science experiments on grass stains in my laundry room with Oxi-Clean and Shout; the reality is my kids play for their own enjoyment rather than my entertainment. Whether I attend their games or not, win or lose, I believe they understand I will always be their biggest fan.
One of the reasons I don't attend all their games is because, for better or for worse, they don't attend mine. I am playing in a summer state tennis league. The play is ugly, the rallies are ruthless...you can use the frame, the throat, or the butt of the racket (or your body for that matter) to return the ball, and the competition is experienced. My kids' have only watched me play one match in my life, it was probably about 5 years ago, at an outdoor event held at the high school. They were disappointed by my play, my partner and I were pummeled my women who, during change of sides, calmly brandished their knitting needles to add a few more loops to their afghans. My kids could not understand how two women devoted to fitness could lose to competitors who parked in the handicap zone. I could give you a myriad of reasons: inexperience, pressure, bad luck, wind, sun, noise, crowds, bloat, birds, sad/bad/angry/funny thoughts. Essentially anything can affect my game which is why I was delighted to finally win one this past Wednesday with my good friend Tonnie.
One of the reasons I don't attend all their games is because, for better or for worse, they don't attend mine. I am playing in a summer state tennis league. The play is ugly, the rallies are ruthless...you can use the frame, the throat, or the butt of the racket (or your body for that matter) to return the ball, and the competition is experienced. My kids' have only watched me play one match in my life, it was probably about 5 years ago, at an outdoor event held at the high school. They were disappointed by my play, my partner and I were pummeled my women who, during change of sides, calmly brandished their knitting needles to add a few more loops to their afghans. My kids could not understand how two women devoted to fitness could lose to competitors who parked in the handicap zone. I could give you a myriad of reasons: inexperience, pressure, bad luck, wind, sun, noise, crowds, bloat, birds, sad/bad/angry/funny thoughts. Essentially anything can affect my game which is why I was delighted to finally win one this past Wednesday with my good friend Tonnie.
Tonnie and Tiffany...a long long time ago at the tennis Halloween mixer when I still had high hopes for my tennis game!
Ten years ago, adult tennis lessons through a local rec department connected me to my favorite doubles partner and friend Tonnie. I was certainly a beginner player and owned a 20 year old racket but I was stoked at the opportunity to learn to play the game. Around the same time I learned I was pregnant with Trey--guess I was storked rather than stoked. So I postponed my commitment for another five years. When it finally seemed I was in a position to play tennis I made sure to call Tonnie. We took some lessons together, but then life again got in the way of becoming the exceptional tennis stars I felt was our destiny. Tonnie, a devoted mom to 3 industrious children, plus her husband dedicated themselves to the rigors of business owners, parental coaches, relationships and paying bills; essentially the priorities of the day. Tennis really didn't make the cut for either one of us at that time, for different reasons, but justifiably could not be pursued in a manner that would ever elevate my game beyond perpetual beginner status.
But finally wisdom has caught up with my age and I realize it is more important to play the game than to necessarily be good at it. Because, again, "good" is a measure of our self-perception. Our self-perception can negatively interfere with a potentially fulfilling life experience. You don't have to be the best golfer to golf; the best swimmer to swim; or even the best pitcher to pitch. You simply have to put yourself in the game and not worry about what your kids think or what the competition thinks or what the by-standers think. For all you know your kids think you're great, your competition thinks you're tenacious, and the by-standers think you're so lucky to play tennis! Like the popular quote from David Foster Wallace: "You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do."
So here's how it went down Wednesday as Tonnie and I reunited on the Pleasant Valley courts to play Highlander.
Me 3:39pm: "Looking forward to playing tennis w/you! I have a 4:30 client so will be at PV as soon as we are done."
Tonnie 4:08pm: yay!!!
Tonnie 5:47p.m.: I just finished cleaning up dog puke. ill b right there
Me 5:51: Great
Tonnie arrives: "Darn, I forgot to bring the hummus and veges (food is an integral part of tennis!). I was so busy making Sten's alien birthday cupcakes I just walked out without them."
Me thinking: "Uh-oh"
So after losing our first set 3-6 and being down 0-3 in the second Tonnie looked at me and said, "Ya know, we probably should be beating these people." I was in complete agreement...there was no reason, except for the aforementioned variables (clouds, sun, birds, crowd, inexperience, cupcakes, tangential thought processes, etc.) that we should be losing. So when she walked onto the court for a new game mistakenly holding her water bottle instead of her tennis racket we decided to stop thinking about cupcakes and Yogalates and instead play tennis. We won the second set in a tie breaker thanks to herculean efforts by Tonnie and we won the third set in a tie breaker. More than two hours of playing a not so pretty, out-of-body, patient, practically Zen-like game of what some might describe as patty-cake and we won our first match in years! Even though I felt like it was a rather depressing display of tennis prowess I was thankful for a win.
Me 8:36pm : "Nice playing with you--seemed like it was all in slow motion but a wins a win!"
Tonnie 8:42: That was FANTASTIC!
Which is why I am grateful for friends like Tonnie who always help me see a different perspective. What I mistakenly labeled as "humiliating" and "depressing" was rightfully reconfigured by a fun-loving friend. Playing tennis, with wonderful team mates on an unusually warm Wisconsin evening, was truly fantastic.
So here's how it went down Wednesday as Tonnie and I reunited on the Pleasant Valley courts to play Highlander.
Me 3:39pm: "Looking forward to playing tennis w/you! I have a 4:30 client so will be at PV as soon as we are done."
Tonnie 4:08pm: yay!!!
Tonnie 5:47p.m.: I just finished cleaning up dog puke. ill b right there
Me 5:51: Great
Tonnie arrives: "Darn, I forgot to bring the hummus and veges (food is an integral part of tennis!). I was so busy making Sten's alien birthday cupcakes I just walked out without them."
Me thinking: "Uh-oh"
So after losing our first set 3-6 and being down 0-3 in the second Tonnie looked at me and said, "Ya know, we probably should be beating these people." I was in complete agreement...there was no reason, except for the aforementioned variables (clouds, sun, birds, crowd, inexperience, cupcakes, tangential thought processes, etc.) that we should be losing. So when she walked onto the court for a new game mistakenly holding her water bottle instead of her tennis racket we decided to stop thinking about cupcakes and Yogalates and instead play tennis. We won the second set in a tie breaker thanks to herculean efforts by Tonnie and we won the third set in a tie breaker. More than two hours of playing a not so pretty, out-of-body, patient, practically Zen-like game of what some might describe as patty-cake and we won our first match in years! Even though I felt like it was a rather depressing display of tennis prowess I was thankful for a win.
Me 8:36pm : "Nice playing with you--seemed like it was all in slow motion but a wins a win!"
Tonnie 8:42: That was FANTASTIC!
Which is why I am grateful for friends like Tonnie who always help me see a different perspective. What I mistakenly labeled as "humiliating" and "depressing" was rightfully reconfigured by a fun-loving friend. Playing tennis, with wonderful team mates on an unusually warm Wisconsin evening, was truly fantastic.
Sten's 10 year old birthday alien cupcakes successfully completed!
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