Beyond the Baseline brings readers the writing of the Austin Tennis Academy athletes. There are many instances where the players are asked to write about a goal, a critical situation, or any number of things, and oftentimes the results are beyond impressive. We hope you enjoy!

 

Ali Young is a 13-year-old junior athlete in the Academy program. She has been at ATA for 3 years, moving up from the Junior Development program. She is the younger sister of Sydney Young, also in the Academy, and the older sister of Drew Young, of Junior Development. This past weekend, Ali accomplished a major goal of hers by qualifying for super champ status. The below is an essay that she submitted to the coaches, called The Song of the Forehand. Enjoy.

 

 

 

There are people watching, dogs barking, children playing. This is the real world. This is what is happening around me. This is the environment in which I live my everyday life. I am not there right now, however. I am in my own world where only my opponent, a single tennis ball, and I exist. This is the Song of the Forehand.

 

This place, this moment, where I am right now is why I train. I have respected the authority of my coaches in order to become a dictator at this very moment. I can smell the fear my opponent is so desperately trying to hide. She is a tiny mouse and I am a cat… no I am a lion. She watches the ball she has just hit intently, as if concentration will make up for the shot which we both know is weak. It seems to travel in slow motion, moving only 1 centimeter every second. It is attackable, oh yes, it is extremely attackable, and it carries with it the Song of the Forehand.

 

The joyful, energetic melody is pounding in my ears as I prepare to hit the ball. While it is traveling over the net, my right arm is straight out to my side, my body turned 90 degrees. I am now tracking the ball, and the music is rapidly becoming louder, growing from 1 band to 1000 in the blink of an eye. The ball bounces and I am immediately in my quads. I am cocked and loaded, ready to pull the trigger. This is it.

 

As I bring my entire body weight forward, the fierce melody explodes out of my body and into the ball. Contact? Solid. Spin? Perfect. Net clearance? Flawless. There is no way she is getting this back.