The Making Of A Champion

I find myself running around two fenced tennis courts. The breeze hits my face as I run around glancing at the trees on the hill and vaguely glimpsing the Ohio River from a distance. It is difficult running ten laps because the problem is that I hate running. Running is essential for the ability to run faster around the tennis court. It makes a difference in my achievement in competing in tennis tournaments.

I walk home six blocks away to pack for my trip to Parkersburg, West Virginia from Wellsburg which is 122 miles by car. I am Stacy Jackson, ash blond hair, blue eyes, 5'3" tall, fourteen, and 110 pounds. The West Virginia Tennis Tournament is on Monday and lasts for a week.

I quietly go in the house to dodge any confrontations with my dad. No use. He is at the top of the stairs in front of my bedroom.

"Hi, Dad." I said cheerfully.
"Did you run all the laps?" he interrogated. Perspiration is running down the sides of my face.
"I did." I replied.
"Okay, now let's go out and hit some serves." he said.

I did not argue but do what I am told. It is a known fact, I have learned long ago, that my dad yells and hollers if I argue. I admit, I am very fearful of my father. I grab my tennis bag and meet him in the kitchen. We walk to the courts. A tennis lesson is in order since he is the coach. We practiced over two and a half hours...Dad is long winded.

I showered, had lunch, and packed my bag. Afterwards, my Mom and Dad are in the front seat and I am in the back of the Buick Station Wagon. We arrive in Parkersburg in over 2 hours.

At the courts we look at the draw. I am thrilled I have been seeded No.2. I had won in doubles a few months ago, so I figured that must be the reason I'm seeded.

The tennis center has twelve hard courts with a chain link fence around both sets of six courts. On the pavement there are a couple of picnic tables painted white and there is a bulletin for the draw mounted on the fence. A couple of large cedar trees shade the tables. A pop machine is located next to the fence at the very end of the pavement. The large bleachers were on the north side.

My dad and I wanted to try out the courts and hit the ball around for an hour. Afterwards, we checked into a motel and had dinner at the restaurant in the motel.

Monday arrived. I dressed in a white tennis dress with white Converse tennis shoes. My first opponent was Debbie Twain. All I had to do was hit the ball back and she would miss. It was an easy match. After the game Debbie and I got to be friends. She is a real nice person with a nice family. I always try to get to know my competition. It added more joy to the game. Thank heavens, I won. My dad would leave me alone and not yell if I won. It was the secret to keeping the peace.

Tuesday arrived. My opponent was Vivian King. It was a hard match. The balls were continuous until someone hit it out, hit into the net, or scored a winner. We split sets. My backhand was my weapon which was great in those days,because the backhand was the weak shot for most people. I managed to come out ahead. Zoning out thoughts about my dad is a ritual or my nerves would get the best of me.
That night, my tennis elbow flared up. I was in excruciating pain so took Tylenol and I went to bed.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I played Lauren Clark, Emily Stewart, and Eva Marcos. I had hard matches, splitting sets in all three, and being in excruciating pain, at night but not during the day. I won all three matches. I didn't know how I was hitting so hard not to have it hurt during the match. It was a miracle.

Saturday arrived. I played Ann Collins. I was beside myself to be in the finals up against the No. 1 seeded. My arm felt fine, and I was passionate to come this far to win. My serve was aggressive and was effective. We split sets. The crowd applauded after every point. I had match point. When I ran to hit a backhand in the service court, my racket hit the ball, but then the racket flew in the air. Debbie's mom smacked her hand against her leg making it red. The crowd gasped. myball went over close to the net. Ann ran and hit the ball way out of the court. I won. I had never seen my dad so happy.

The feeling of victory was overwhelming. It meant so much to me after working passionately on my game. Then, when I succeeded, it is an experiance of a lifetime! It last forever and carries through in everything I do. It pays to work hard for what you want.