Picking back up the racquet.
When millennials were kids, there were inside-kids and there were outside-kids. Free to roam the burbs until the streetlights came on, the outside-kids biked, scootered, and ran from house to house collecting friends for our latest game.
While I was an outside kid, I wouldn’t have really called myself an athletic kid. I was on a soccer team as a young child. The “Pikachus” were outfitted with bright yellow kits and black shorts that came nearly to my ankles. My mom recalled that I was often found in the goal, picking dandelions, as I did not enjoy the running aspect. I was also on a softball team for a short stint, but had to retire as soon as I aged into fast-pitch.
I then went back to riding bikes around the neighborhood with my friends, and keeping score for my dad’s (retrospectively, maybe too-competitive rec league) softball teams.
In 2007, we moved from Maryland to Florida, and in an attempt to make friends, I tried out for the high school softball team. I still couldn’t hit fast pitch, but I thought I might make a good benchwarmer or score-keeper with my robust scorekeeping resume. I was quickly thanked for my time.
I ended up making friends on my bus and in my classes, and because it was Florida, most of these new friends turned out to play golf and tennis. So, I found myself joining the high school tennis team.
After 4 years of tennis practices, I believe I won ONE match — with Carly Esposito, 9-7 vs. Atlantic High School in Port Orange — my entire high school tennis career. There was even a NEWSPAPER article about it. Wow. So cool.
The Flagler Palm Coast girls team won its first match of the season last week with a 6-1 victory over Atlantic. Emily Acierno won the No. 1 singles match 8-4 and played with Madison Gibbs to take an 8-6 match in No. 1 doubles.
The Lady Bulldogs also got victories in singles from No. 3 Carly Esposito (8-3) while both Mary-Catherine Faming and Irina Boycheva scored 8-0 shutouts and No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively. Esposito and Katie Bryl scored a 9-7 win at No. 2 doubles.
I did, however, end up winning a tennis scholarship. “How on earth?” You might ask yourself. Turns out the Palm Coast/Flagler Friends of Tennis awards one senior from each of the men’s and women’s tennis teams a $1000 scholarship every year. And… well. There was but one senior on the women’s tennis team that year.
You guessed it — ME!
So in 2011, I ended my tennis career, took that scholarship, and went on my merry way to Atlanta for college. Here, I would occasionally pick up a racquet and hit on the tennis courts on top of Peter’s Parking Deck at Georgia Tech with friends, but certainly was not playing with any regularity.
As life went on over the next 10 years, I picked up a racquet less and less.
After college, I voluntold my friends to join a rec league kickball team called “Good Enough”. I reasoned that kickball would be a lower-stakes sport than co-ed adult softball. Needless to say, we gained a reputation as the fun team, showing up with mimosas, snacks, and a good attitude.
And then COVID-19 hit.
In May of 2021, after a year of isolation and depression, my therapist gently suggested that I pick up an outdoor activity. She hinted that she may be inclined to sign me up for a 5k if I did not register for something on my own. I couldn’t think of anything worse than running. Plus, I already owned a pretty nice tennis racquet, so I convinced my husband, Taylor, and my friend Jason to sign up for USTA’s Tennis Apprentice program with me. This kick-started my journey back into tennis, which would soon evolve into a low-grade obsession.
