Today concludes this season of Travel Tennis with Wheaton Sport Center. Our last match was a victorious win with all three courts winning and my court ‘bageling’ (sorry, had to flex).

For me tennis has been a huge blessing. Not only is it an outlet for my competitive nature, but it’s also an activity that forces me to shut down all the things around me and focus on being present.

The added bonus of travel team is - the team. Our group chat often branches out from tennis and we rally around each other as we share real life stuff. We cover for one another, support each other during difficult times, and find ways to build each other up - on and off the court.

Something that was challenging for me at first was that doubles tennis forces communication. It’s CONSTANT verbal and nonverbal communication. You become mindful of someone besides yourself (crazy!). It requires you to be aware of your teammate’s court positioning, their strengths and weaknesses. Doubles has given me the opportunity to develop my communication skills, sharpen my ability to assess my own s&w, choose resilience after difficult points, and be a gracious winner and loser.

I’m so glad that instead of learning to make banana bread during the pandemic, I chose tennis as my COVID hobby. 😊