If you know anything about HIGH-TECH TENNIS, you know that we've spent the past TEN YEARS focusing exclusively on helping junior tennis players achieve their recruiting & training goals. As a result, we feel like we know virtually ALL there is to know about junior tennis. Well, maybe not ALL, but close. Imagine our reaction to spending the weekend surrounded by junior athletes playing a very different sport with a much bigger ball: BASKETBALL!!
We attended a junior basketball tournament that was part of a national college showcase event & while there were a few similarities, the bigger ball was only one of the MANY differences!
DIFFERENCES
In basketball, everyone knows when the game will start AND WHEN IT WILL END & the clock is part of the game in terms of strategy <?> but I can't count the number of times Danny has reminded me "there's no clock in tennis" & that's a big deal! As the video service, we always arrive at junior tennis tournaments by 7AM to set up properly & to have adequate time to get our cameras where they need to go. We LOVE the Mobile Tennis Center for soooo many reasons, not least of which is the "Shotgun Start" because we know where & when the first match will be played... BUT THAT'S ONLY TRUE FOR THE FIRST MATCH!! All remaining matches are assigned courts on a first-come, first-served basis so absolutely NO ONE knows when the match will start or when it will end. Having a clock makes a HUGE difference!!
In basketball <particularly inside the gym> it is EXTREEEMELY LOUD - from the beginning to the end of the game & spectators yell out coaching tips like crazy! One of the many things I really don't like about junior tennis is that we all have be EXTREEEMELY QUIET - basically silent<!> from the beginning to the end of the match! In fact, people who cheer or heaven forbid yell instructions or "coach" the players are often penalized or at the very least discouraged & that's just fine for professional tennis but WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KIDS! For what it's worth, I think more kids would be drawn to tennis if they could dial down the intensity & actually allow spectators to cheer for their favorite player!!
In basketball <as in most youth sports>, it seems that practically EVERYONE has a video camera!! One thing I really hate about tennis is that too many parents think their kids are soo much more important than other young athletes & we STILL encounter resistance when we try to record tennis matches to help the players improve. We are frequently put on the spot & told that parents of both players must actually give permission or sign a waiver or both but HOW MANY PARENTS HAVE TO GIVE PERMISSION OR SIGN WAIVERS AT A JUNIOR BASKETBALL GAME??? Don't miss Danny <2nd camera from the left> as he recorded content to create a College Recruit Video for his 15yo grand-niece <!!> to submit to college basketball coaches!!
SIMILARITIES
In tennis, we've been told that college coaches start following players as early as their 9th or 10th grade year in school & in basketball, that certainly seems to be true too since we were there to watch a team full of 16 & under girls & SO WERE LOTS OF COLLEGE COACHES! We just hope <like the parents hope> that the coach wasn't in the bathroom or texting when their child played their absolute best basketball!!
Though we fight back against the "tennis is for rich kids" stereotype, it's largely true <!!> & we see it every single day. Junior tennis players train for hours upon hours <that ain't cheap> & we know many who simply can't afford to travel from state to state for tournaments because of all the associated expenses: entry fees, hotels, restaurants, etc., etc., etc. After paying $15 per person per day to enter the gym & watch children <most of whom traveled from another state to play a game>, I realized that tennis might not be the only expensive sport for young athletes!!
We learned a long time ago that good parents will do almost anything to support their kids & that includes not only tennis but basketball too. I'm sure that spending a weekend surrounded by over-excited kids in a gymnasium or at a tennis center might not be their favorite activity, but good parents want to give their children the very best chance at a good life & the parents/grandparents who traveled to watch their kids play basketball were exactly the same as the parents/grandparents we know who would give almost anything to watch their kids play tennis!!
So the more differences we saw, the more the sports seem to be the same!! We know that we couldn't possibly live this dreamy life if you didn't do what you do so THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT &
KEEP IT COMIN'!
Labels: Precious Moments
