Tennis fever

When the girls were really young (too young) we put them in soccer. We anticipated a childhood filled with organized sports. Both Tennie and Adele sat on the sidelines; neither one jumped in with gusto. Same thing happened with dance when super young. So I decided that I wouldn't push any activities and wait for them to ask for it, and I'm so glad we did. Their childhood has been relatively free of commitments and full of imaginative play and exploration. Looking back I'm so grateful for their initial resistance.

If there is one sport we really hoped they would eventually love it is tennis. They can play it until they're old, and they can compete with boys. This spring we had a family tennis lesson but Adele and Ceci played in the corner, and Tennie didn't seem super excited about it. We gave it one more little nudge. We suggested a summer tennis camp so they could meet some kids here in Auburn (most of their friends live 30 minutes away). The social carrot worked, they agreed to a camp.

This past week was the camp (which ended up a being a small group of kids they already knew) and they LOVED it!!! It was the same coach that taught us in the spring, but the friends made it fun and they couldn't wait to go every day. The coach invited Tennie and Adele to play on a tennis team this summer. They aren't nearly ready to compete, but they'll practice weekly with some girls their age that are really good. They've already gone to two practices in addition to their tennis camp (that makes two five-hour days!) and wish the same rigor were continuing this week! They've caught tennis fever!




Will it last? Who knows, but for right now they love it, and we'll fan the flame as long as we can...