G12 to G18

As you may know, we've proudly participated in the G12 National Hard Court Championships @ the Wonderful Windward Lake Club for the past 7 years. Due to circumstances beyond our control, it didn't look like there'd be an 8...But thanks to a last-minute personal invitation from none other than our old friend & new owner CHIP HALBAUER, there WAS an 8 & what an 8 it was!!! :)

Not exactly sure why but YEAR 8 @ Windward was THE BEST YEAR EVER!!! We had a blast catching up with old friends & making loads of new ones...We even got a big surprise when we saw our old pal ELLIE HALBAUER. Believe it or not, Ellie is not 12 anymore...In fact, she's now an 18 yo (!!!) & she gave a brief presentation about her journey from G12 to G18 @ the pool party. She also took a few questions from the girls. We knew you'd be interested so we recorded her presentation so we'd have the video to share with you...EXCEPT WE FORGOT TO PRESS RECORD!!! :( And when I say "WE" you know who I'm talking about, lol.

First, how about a FLASHBACK to when Ellie was just 10yo, followed by when she competed in this tourney in 2009 & a recent picture of her competing on a tennis court somewhere, lol:

Ellie was quite nervous while she practiced her speech. I encouraged her to calm down since all she had to do was tell the truth but not sure it helped...

Fortunately, she shared the text of her presentation with me & here is exactly what she said:

"I hope everyone is enjoying the tournament! I remember I really enjoyed this tournament when I was playing. For me, tennis was a long process. I didn't have instant success, but I kept trying and believing in myself. Through the guidance and support of my parents, coaches and HIGH-TECH TENNIS, I am currently playing on the pro circuit. It's been a lot of fun most of the time, there have been a lot of ups and downs with wins, losses and injuries but overall I'm happy I've chosen this sport! Make sure to let your parents and coaches know how much you appreciate them because without them, this wouldn't be possible. Thank You!"

Short & sweet <good thing since her hands were shaking, lol> but it was very interesting to the group of girls who'd gathered poolside to hear what Ellie had to say. 

Ellie took about 6-8 questions & I'll try to paraphrase the questions/answers:

"What's your ranking?" Ellie is 425 in the world.

"What's been your biggest win?" When she won the Van Der Meer Shipyard Women's $10,000 tourney in 2013 as a 16yo <a 10th grader>.

"What do wish you'd done differently?" She wished she hadn't changed coaches so frequently.

"What do you wish parents knew?" She wished that parents would ease up & understand that tennis is hard & players are trying their best. 

"Does she have a boyfriend?" Not at the present but she's hoping that'll change.

O.K., I was the one who asked the final two questions listed <LOL> & there were loads of others but I either didn't hear them or I can't remember them. Besides, I was counting on the videotape so I wasn't concentrating all that much!!

We had fun catching up with Ellie & her friend Tai Martin <who we've also known since she was about 8 or 9yo> before they took off for a pro tournament in PA. Though Ellie's future is unclear at the moment, Tai is counting the days <must be about 7 by now?> until she leaves for University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

They don't come any sweeter than these two...What a pleasure to have watched them grow up & we wish ALL THE VERY BEST to our friends ELLIE HALBAUER & TAI MARTIN!!

What we wish you knew is that what happens in a particular game or match or tournament is just not that serious. In fact, in the scheme of things, it just doesn't matter AT ALL.

What DOES matter is that juniors don't stay juniors forever...

They grow up & out of junior tennis before our very eyes.