Category: Random Fun Stuff

Tennis for a Cause

I don’t usually post on Tuesdays, but I had to pass along this terrific opportunity to participate in tennis while supporting a worthy organization.

On Sunday, June 10 from 10-3, the girls’ tennis team from Newton South High School will host a fundraising event for Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center in Boston. Founded in 1961, Sportsmen’s offers tennis programs and academic support to Boston-area kids.

Try a tennis clinic, demo a new racquet, or take part in competitive match play. All ages and abilities welcome, so if you’re thinking of taking up tennis–or getting your kids involved in the sport–don’t miss this chance to test it out!

100% of the proceeds from this event will help fund Sportsmen’s programs.

For more information and to register, go to Sportsmenstennis.org.

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Tennis as Refuge

Picture this: You’re having a terrible week. Your kid’s failing algebra, your assistant at work quit, and your sister just announced she’s coming for the weekend, along with her three obnoxious children. You arrive at the tennis courts, frazzled and unfocused, certain you’ll play horribly. Ninety minutes later you walk off the courts and you realize you haven’t thought about your problems the whole time. Your mind’s refreshed and your troubles seem just a little bit more manageable.

I’m guessing you can relate to this experience, that temporary transcendence that comes from immersing yourself in a passion. It’s not unique to tennis, I’m sure, but tennis is where I’ve found it most reliably. Continue reading “Tennis as Refuge” →

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Help Wanted (No Pay, Great Perks!)

Back in March, I was lucky enough to go to the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA. The trip was a gift from my husband for a significant, evenly-divisible-by-ten birthday. (Let’s just leave it at that.)

During one match, a couple sat down next to us, and we started talking. Turns out they were volunteering at the tournament, something they’d done for a number of years. They explained to me how it worked. Continue reading “Help Wanted (No Pay, Great Perks!)” →

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There’s No “I” in Team (But There Is in Tennis)

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Team tennis is a strange hybrid. In other major sports, all the players participate in the same game. At Foxboro on game day, Brady, Gronkowski, and Edelman take the same field.

In team tennis, with the exception of your doubles partner, you’re on your own. Your teammates play their own separate matches on other courts. It’s an odd marriage of self-reliance and teamwork. Continue reading “There’s No “I” in Team (But There Is in Tennis)” →

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Welcome to LittleYellowBall!

Even after playing tennis for hours a week, I find myself spending even more time talking with my friends about the sport we love. How we pulled off that improbable win–or, just as often, how we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Why we can’t seem to remember to watch the ball. Which players we admire most. And, yes, what we think of that new Nike or Adidas outfit.

Not only do I spend time talking about tennis, for the last four years I’ve written about it in weekly match recaps to my team. Looooong emails filled with point analysis and player strengths and on-court conflicts and special kudos for matching outfits….

Really, at this point, I might as well just start a blog.

LittleYellowBall is devoted to all things tennis, from the perspective of the recreational league player. I hope you’ll find posts that entertain or inform you. Look around. Read the posts. Take the Friday Fashion Face-off polls. Share your own experiences with us, too!

And if you have suggestions of what you’d like to see here, let me know!

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