AS TIME GOES BY

As you may know, our calendar really keeps us hopping from state to state & junior tournament to junior tournament. OF COURSE we meet tons of tennis people <coaches, parents & KIDS> as the weeks, months & years fly by in a flash. While we are so consumed with keeping the lights on & the general busy-ness of our business <you wouldn't believe the struggle/resistance we've faced & STILL DO>, we tend to overlook what else is happening: THE KIDS ARE GROWING UP.

We select the events on our calendar based on whether the TD

• is nice to us &
• values what we do.

Unfortunately, you'd be shocked to realize how few meet such stringent criteria :( but TD Carlos Lozano @ the Topspin Swim & Racquet Club in Columbia, SC was one who did & when he invited us to his Topspin Classic tournament in March of 2007, we were happy to accept. We loved that tournament, it was our only stop in SC & were happy to go for the next 6 years... until the non-stop changes in junior competition finally forced us to drop it from our schedule in 2013 <& Carlos later moved on anyway, as tennis pros do>. BUT before that happened, a mother from NC said "You guys should come to our tournament!", "Where's your tournament?", bada bing, bada boom & we've been going to the NC Clay Courts @ the Olde Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte, NC every July since 2011... AND THAT IS WHERE WE RAN INTO THESE TWO SISTERS FROM NORTH CAROLINA. 

We were super-busy @ the tournament <AS USUAL> & basically forgot about these cuties after the tournament was over. 

FAST FORWARD 4+ YEARS 

The little one on the left <now 12> approached me @ the Icy Hot Championships in Chattanooga, TN last Halloween with this question: "Aren't you the one who brings animal crackers to tournaments?"

I'd forgotten but clearly she hadn't... HOW FUN!! She was especially friendly, super-chatty & I was happy that she spent so much time at our tent during the tournament. It was fun getting to know such a nice young lady who was there w/ a group of kids & a coach but when I asked about her grades at school, that's when things got serious: UGH----This girl had some seriously bad grades & I scolded her repeatedly that she should be ashamed of herself & that she absolutely HAD to do something about them. She wasn't convinced that her grades really mattered <typical> but I stayed on her case pretty much non-stop. She follows HIGH-TECH TENNIS on social media & she texts me often, asking about our next tournament & where we might meet each other again. Unfortunately for both of us, our paths probably won't cross again until the Icy Hot @ Halloween in Chattanooga, TN. :(

So as our friendship has developed over the past 6 months, I don't think a single solitary chat has gone by without me asking about grades & encouraging her to SHAPE UP, lol. Well, guess what?!?!?!?

The entire purpose of this blog post is to let you know that this nice young lady from North Carolina improved her overall grade from 39% <Halloween 2015> to 95% <today>!!!!! I am sooooooo incredibly proud of her & of course I had nothing to do with it but it occurs to me that staying on her case didn't hurt :)

WAY TO GO & KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK, Cheekie Girl!!