When Professor Danner asked us to take up a task which we are likely to fail at and then write about it, only one thing came to my mind – getting on the Squash Varsity Team. Before I detail what I learned during my rather arduous journey, I’d like to give some background on my abilities in this game and why this was an appropriate choice for this particular assignment. I started playing squash when I was ten years old. This is actually a few years earlier than when most people, who go on to…
Gladwell describes how Vic Braden, one of the world’s top tennis coaches, can tell when a tennis player is about to double-fault just by observing the player. Vic braden was a world class tennis player when he was younger. He is now in his seventies and has coached many of the greatest tennis players in the history of tennis. Braden lies in bed at night, and it drives him crazy, trying to figure out how he is able to tell when a tennis player is about to double-fault but cannot come up with…
In the sports of women’s professional tennis and U.S. college football, athletes can often times be constructed as a body with a talent in athleticism, and at the same time be neglected in the acknowledgment of their citizenship through discourses, language, and institutional networks. In the sport of U.S. college football the athlete that is constituted by the network of institutions discourses, and languages as an overworked and underpaid laborer who is denied their ability to exercise their…
learning the way the sport works I interview with an athlete that has participated in events pertaining to the sport. The interviewee’s name is Danny Nguyen and badminton has been part of his life very early on due to a connect that the sport has with tennis. Danny Nguyen started to play the sport when he was a young child and his instructor was his neighbor. At the start the sport was more for fun and with the progression of time he began to be more competitive and looked to challenge his…
It is often said that there is no such thing as a bad day on the golf course, but if you find yourself playing 18 holes when the wind is howling you might be rethinking that sentiment. If you are familiar with the nuances of big island golf, you know that in Hawaii the wind will definitely blow. There are few things more frustrating for a golfer than to see a ball fly straight off the club— and then watch the wind take it far, far off course. Waikoloa Village Golf Club in Waikoloa, HI, would…
during the war. In the back of the picture sit my tennis raquet. I have always loved playing tennis evers since i started in sixth grade. I have never been good at sports in my life but tennis is the one sport that I am actually good at. It makes me complete and feel good about myself. Sports are tough on a high schooler but tennis puts me in my happy place where I can feel like I can do anything that I want to on the court and in my life. Tennis will always be with me no matter if I am dead or…
An activity that is very significant to me is tennis. I began playing tennis in my freshman year, and to my surprise I was the only girl in my county that wanted to play. I was then placed on the boy’s tennis team, and competed in an all men’s conference. This was a unique and transforming experience for me. I was able to compete with people that were much more advanced than me, and I was able to learn and grew from my matches. I wanted to be seen as competition to my opponents, not just a small…
Have you heard about Olga Kotelko, who became a successful, and acclaimed, track-and-field athlete, nonagenarian, at the age of 93? If not, then you'll be pleasantly surprised at the story that we are about to tell you. In fact, Olga's story ties into the debate on whether or not exercising changes the way your brain works, regardless of your age. All About Olga Kotelko Olga holds quite a few world records, plus hundreds of gold medals from masters events, which is incredibly surprising at…
Life is just like a game of tennis. You lose points, you win points, you overcome struggles, and you can even come back to win in the end after you had been losing most of the match. Tennis has been one of my struggles in life, one of my struggles to succeed, but I don’t play competitive tennis anymore. I’m not on the club team, playing for any college, and at this time, not even intramural. How has tennis helped me and why do I still care about it? Lets go back to when I was in eighth grade,…
the most successful tennis players in the world. He has books, biographies, short stories, and even newspaper entries that have been written about him. Arthur was born on July 10, 1943, in Richmond Virginia. Ashe is known worldwide for being one of the most successful tennis players in the world, and also known for always smiling even if losing the game. Arthur Ashe is famous for many things, but he is most famous for being the “First African American to achieve fame in tennis” (McPhee, 2012,…