I’ve been playing tennis since 8th grade (currently in 11th), urged to do so by one of my friends. Luckily, I’ve played tennis before with both my parents since they played in high school. So, I joined the team and enjoyed it a lot, except for the coach who was a interesting person to say the least. Anyway, it became a fun hobby for me to do with my friends and my family. I continued with it through the next few years, and it got a lot better in high school. Even though I wasn’t necessarily the best at it, it was still a good environment that I thought was worth my time. Now, on the other hand my best friend, we were like an academic duo and had been friends for 10 years. We first met in 1st grade when I was crying, and she went over and helped me and became my friend from then to the present. She mainly did it because she liked the coach and relatively could play basketball. But, at my school the girls on the basketball team are horrible. They are straight up rude and don’t include you if you’re not apart of their “group”. Additionally, they’re that group of girls who vape, drink, do drugs etc. So, not a very good or beneficial group to be around, especially for my friend who was pretty much the opposite of them. My friend just felt left out in the sport; she didn’t have anyone to hang out with after school or before games. Also, she wasn’t super good at basketball, meaning most games she sat on the bench. The sport was at all advantageous for her and just resulted in her feeling down but putting her dislike of it to the side by making jokes about it. However, I could see that truly she felt left out and needed something better to do with her time.
I decided to ask her if she would like to join tennis. At first, she was like maybe, but wasn’t totally set, until my mom finally convinced her. From that point over the summer, I worked with her on tennis skills. I had her use one of my rackets, and taught her how to serve, forehand, backhand, volley etc. Fortunately, she knew some parts about tennis because her parents had also played before and I played tennis with her in pe. So, she knew the basics of the game, and I just had to help her strengthen her skills. In August the season started, and it was her first time at tryouts. Now, a lot of tennis coaches are pretty interesting, and she was kind of shocked by what they had us doing. Along with that she was also put in some lower groups with younger kids since she joined tennis late. It was a perfect experience, but it was better than basketball for her. She persisted and managed to do the activities. At the end of the first week, she said she had fun and enjoyed it a lot more. She had more friends on the team and overall, it was a better environment. We both played on the JV team my sophomore year, and it was a super fun experience. She even made some new friends who she is still close with to this day. She tells me often how much better it was in tennis than basketball and how glad she is that she listened to my mom and I and joined. She didn’t necessarily care that she wasn’t the best, and just enjoyed the etam and the spirit.
The following year in 11th grade I was expected to make the varsity team with a few of my other friends. I had almost made it the previous year and had been practicing a lot so I managed to make it. However, my best friend missed tryouts and therefore was stuck on JV because that was where the coaches assumed she should be. My friend expected it though so she was fine at first, until she realized me and all of her other friends on the team got pulled up to varsity. She didn’t have many friends anymore on the JV team, and there were even a few people she did not get along very well with, so it was a rough season for her. I felt really bad and knowing she would do the same for me, I kept urging the varsity coach to pull her up for sectionals (a tournament where we compete against schools in hopes of eventually making it to states). With enough persistence she was finally asked to come to practice after the season ended. The varsity coach decided to bring her up to practice with us. I was so happy and so was she because it allowed us to have more time together. She would finally get to be on a team that season with friends to make good experiences and memories with.
This friend and me and still very close to this day and our bond has only grown stronger. I helped her get on the tennis team because of how much I cared for her and I know she would have done the same for me if our situations were switched. Also, her joining tennis and quitting basketball also gave her an opportunity to join costume crew and connect with many other too. I was so happy she was able to make new connections and experience a new environment after I introduced her to tennis. I felt really bad when she was left alone on the basketball team and was so glad this obstacle was able to be overcome. I think this situation showed how close we were and what we would do for each other. It really represented a positive moment of girlhood in our lives and girls helping other girls. At the end of the day, it wasn’t just me supporting her, but my other teammates too.
this is amazing! i love this! i play tennis sometimes too!