Mondays are always a tough time for tired campers and counselors. Mr. B wants everyone at the courts and ready to go by 8:25. He gets very testy if campers show up late, and indignant if counselors show up late. On this day I think he sensed the fatigue and the long weekend. He had us all run a sidestep lap around the 8 top clay courts. Then all the campers were seated on the courts, many sitting on their racquet covers or racquets, counselors against the fence. We never know what to expect. Mr. B started out on a discourse of the game in general. He says the days of nice country club tennis are over, he says the playground players have high jacked the game back to where it belongs, the public courts. He says gritty players like Connors appeal to the average Joe and people are watching tennis on TV who have never watched before. From there Mr. B gave a fascinating behind the scenes look at Pro tennis. He told us stories from the West Side Tennis club locker room, he evaluated the Pros their strengths and weaknesses. He thinks Connors will stay number one, but that Borg has his number on grass. He says Borg has big problems on hard courts. Mr. B also told us about champions of the past, he saw Tilden play and described his game, he says Tilden could hit hard, but his mastery of the spin and change of pace is what made him a champion. He says he was the first true student of the game….and said that Tilden would fit in the modern game. He says he and Billie worked on changing pace and spin in her game. It was fascinating inside look and the kids hung on every word, when it came to play the kids were brimming with energy.
Tom Vrana and were on the same court. I have hardly talked to the guy this past week, but I have to say that he is pleasant and nice and a great hitter. The kids seem to like him and our morning went very fast.
We worked on the kids forehands and backhands. Mr. B trained us to look at the back swing first, feet second, eyes third…those three things are vital in stroke production. With Brennan’s method we can spot and correct common errors in no time, if we don’t catch it, a wondering Mr. B catches it, so the kids get a very well rounded tennis education…and its more than just hitting, its history and love of the game as well. Brennan has a way of tapping into player passion; he makes the game addictive because he can make a player believe that anything is possible.
I took a nap at noon; I needed it because I was so tired. When I got down to the courts I was very refreshed and ready to go. Sandy and I went a bit early so we could hit. We were the only ones there. I was at the net hitting volleys and Mr. B showed up. I have always had a problem on the backhand side and Mr. B took one look and said you need to turn your shoulder and lean into the ball at contact. He told me to ditch the swing and punch the ball with a bit of under spin, with the weight behind the ball, I was hitting it perfectly. I now have a killer backhand volley.
I went to the Academy Bank and deposited a check from my Mom. I was flat broke and she sent me 25.00. That should last me a long time. I spend the most on pop and ice cream. At some point I’m expecting to break a string, and that should run me about $7.00 dollars. I need a haircut but I have talked Pat into cutting my hair on my day off.
I played Tom Sheridan after work again. This guy has a fantastic forehand and a hard serve. I brought him into the net and tried to pass him, it should have worked but I couldn’t pass him on the forehand side. He put a lot of balls away and his serve was working. He’s a bit unorthodox, but when its working it’s trouble. He beat me 6-4.
I had court duty tonight with Sandy. Pat came down and helped and it was fun just sitting and talking to her as darkness fell. With all the old buildings it looked like a night out of a Shelly book. It was so hot that getting wet felt good. I made it back to the dorm and the kids were watching TV. I saw Tom and thank god he wasn’t gloating over his victory, he never does, in fact he praised my game and said that I need to cut down on a few errors and that I would be okay.
Sanderson and I read for a while and then fell asleep.
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