It was difficult to get tickets to the semi-final match between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters, but it was more difficult to explain to the children Serena's inappropriate behavior!
Serena had not lost a set in her earlier matches, but it was evident early on that she could not handle the consistent deep shots and angles of Clijsters. For the first time in this US Open, Serena was not dictating the match. Clijsters broke her to take the first set 6-4. Serena's frustation was evident as she flipped her racquet and then smashed it at the end of the set. Serena received a code violation. She clearly had started to lose her focus.
Serena played better in the second set, but was never truly in command. She was trailing 6-5 and was serving. She fell behind 15-30, and then the bottom fell out. She faulted on her first serve and then was called for a foot fault to lose the point and make the score 15-40. Mt. Serena then erupted. She turned to the lineswoman and threatened to shove the ball down her throat with a few other colorful words which were caught on the microphone. Not only was she verbally abusing this poor official, but at the same time was shaking her racquet in a menacing way. After she had finished her first attack, she returned to the baseline to serve, but was distracted by the official returning from the chair umpire. At this point, she again screamed at the lineswoman with more colorful language. Tournament referee Brian Earley came onto the court, and gave Serena her second code violation which cost her a point, which was match point.
Kim Clijsters had no idea what was happening as Serena crossed the net to congratulate her. Clijsters had a look of bewilderment as she sat in her chair waiting to be interviewed. Serena William's embarassing behavior took away from the excellent play of Clijsters and her well deserved victory.
There are no excuses for Serena's behavior!! Bad calls are part of all sports and the true champions, the true professionals are able to rise above these obstacles. Earlier in the week, I witnessed a dubious foot fault called against Serena Williams. She handled this call by staring down the official without any verbage or threatening mannerisms. This also is not acceptable behavior, but a better choice of action than she exhibited against Clijsters.
What is an appropriate penalty? In basketball two technicals and you are thrown out of the game; in baseball argue with the umpire too vigorously, and you are thrown out of the game. Why should tennis be any different? She should have been immediately disqualified. She received $10,500.00 dollars in fines, about 3% of her winnings. Is that enough?
Anyone can have a meltdown. The frustation of not playing well, the pressure of being expected to win and then a bad call- all the ingredients for an explosion-BANG! However Serena had a bigger problem- Hubris. She could not accept responsibility for her actions and apologize. She did not apologize at her press conference after the match or the following day. All she could muster was that John McEnroe was one of her heroes, as if to wash away this hideous outburst by drawing comparisons to someone else known for abusing officials. Even McEnroe the commentator was at an immediate lose of words. There are no excuses. She then said that after gaining her composure, " in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me, and as a result, I handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans for understanding I am human and look forward to continuing my journey, both professionally and personally."
Yes Serena you are human. We can understand that. What we cannot understand is why you did not apologize to this official immediately. Why did it take 3 days to begrudingly offer this official any apology?? We can all lose a match and recover our standings, but we cannot lose our dignity and walk away carefree. You have damaged yourself and have disappointed everyone!!
Showing posts with label Alley Pond Tennis Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alley Pond Tennis Center. Show all posts
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Practice Makes Perfect, Preparation Makes Opportunities
In this day and age, talent as natural ability and work ethic translated as tons of practice are absolutely necessary ingredients. Close behind that, are motivating factors which could be parents or coaches, or maybe just internal drive. Financial support is necessary, because lets face it, lessons, court time, travel, tournament entries, and equipment all cost money that kids don't make themselves. Most players are on board with the above essentials and only few rise to the occasion.
This is where preparation makes the difference. What you ate, how fit you are off the court, how strong you are and how flexible. Like all other sports, tennis is no exception, you have to swing the racquet for hours a day but then you have to hit the gym, run some miles, do your stretches and try to fuel your body with the right things. Tennis Racquets for Kids believes in the essentials and emphasizes the importance of fitness for tennis and good health.
Stretching:
Before you play it is recommended by experts to do dynamic stretching as opposed to static stretching. If static means staying in one place then dynamic is the opposite, it is stretching while moving. The old way, of holding one stretch for a few seconds actually reduces performance of the muscles because it doesn't fire up the muscles rather relaxes them and for a sprint and stop sport like tennis, that is bad. So jogging a few laps and proceeding with walking up and down lunges and high knees across the court and torso twists is more the way to go. Once you're done playing, then it is a good idea to sit down and do some still stretches holding each for 30 seconds or so to cool down the muscles that were just tensing for the past hour or so.
Strength:
You have to be strong in tennis, even if you're only ten. While it is a good idea to hire a personal trainer,this is not practical and most people cannot afford one. You can pay a visit to a bookstore to evaluate the many good tennis exercise books on the shelves that will give you the same exercises a trainer will. Kids should work out with supervision. The workout can take place anywhere; in the house, apartment or backyard, but it has to be done correctly. Strength building exercises should be done twice a week. Things like lunges, planks, squats, abs and push ups. You don't even need weights, your body weight and a medicine ball with a rubber band will do most of the time. These exercises should be done in several sets and made up of several repetitions.
What happens when you play and you're weak? Your muscles get tired sooner, you get out of breath, the lactic acid crawls into the muscles and you stop bending your knees, you stop accelerating your arm on your serve and you are no longer capable of running down the balls and keeping it in play long enough to win points. Strong muscles also help prevent injuries and give you the force you need to create power and play at a higher level.
Speaking of injury prevention, there are injury prevention exercises that should be done before practice with a rubber band. These will ensure that the correct muscles are warmed up with several sets of restraining repetitions. If you are not sure what these terms mean, you can always ask a coach or look it up online, there is a ton of material written on the subject.
<
Fitness:
All sports require off court fitness to make you better, faster,and stronger. This is necessary if you want to compete at a high level. Some people play tennis to get fit. These exercises are good for all children and can help fight fight childhood obesity if done on a regular basis.
If you want to be a competitive tennis player good fitness is essential. It is necessary to help grind out those long matches. You need to do long distance running of several miles a week and short timed miles once a week. Long distance running is not very good for tennis players because it builds the long lean muscles they really do not use. Long distance once a week is for stamina, the muscles you want to build are quick fire sprinting ones. Biking is also a great way to get those muscles working. Interval workouts are the best for tennis, where you sprint for 30 seconds then jog for 3 minutes. In tennis its also important to be able to move in all four directions, up back and side to side. Shuffle sprints are very important as well. Last but not least recommendation is plyometrics. There is nothing better for tennis. That involves a little bit of jump rope and a lot of jumping and sprinting, hurdles and boxes. Don't forget to give yourself days off and alternate the workouts to give yourself time to regroup and prevent injuries!
Food:
Athletes need to eat, they need energy and they need muscles. Unless you're playing defense on a football team, you need to be light enough to fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee too. Which means eating right. Athletes need carbs but need to limit the fat, because the fat won't let the body use the carbs. If you watched the Olympics and saw the special on what Michael Phelps eats, you would be shocked, but athletes like that burn more calories than we can imagine. It is good to eat a while before you play and pack snacks if you plan on playing a while. Good to go for lean meat protein and low fat foods. Hydrating is perhaps the most important, since tennis is not only physical but also playing in hot weather typically. 16-20 ounces of Propel throughout an hour sounds ok. Visits to Starbucks for coffee are not at the top of the list as caffeine is a stimulant and can make you jittery. Fruits and nuts make perfect snacks while you play. After you finish with your tennis for the day, eat within 30 minutes, it will fit in the metabolic schedule your body maintains to get you refueled and ready to play again.
This little intro to preparation sounds like a lot, but really everything listed are just small elements of the whole picture of competitive tennis. Its hard to find the time to do everything because of the hectic lives we lead, kids lead, but at the same time its a very rewarding thing, as all these things are not work in a cubicle or lessons at schoold behind the desk. These activities should be fun and benefit the overall health of your body. These things are for your tennis, but even more so for you. So think of it as you time and don't be lazy.
Check out this really great fitness resource http://fitspott.typepad.com/fitspott/
Visit Tennis Racquets For Kids to help children play tennis.
This is where preparation makes the difference. What you ate, how fit you are off the court, how strong you are and how flexible. Like all other sports, tennis is no exception, you have to swing the racquet for hours a day but then you have to hit the gym, run some miles, do your stretches and try to fuel your body with the right things. Tennis Racquets for Kids believes in the essentials and emphasizes the importance of fitness for tennis and good health.
Stretching:
Before you play it is recommended by experts to do dynamic stretching as opposed to static stretching. If static means staying in one place then dynamic is the opposite, it is stretching while moving. The old way, of holding one stretch for a few seconds actually reduces performance of the muscles because it doesn't fire up the muscles rather relaxes them and for a sprint and stop sport like tennis, that is bad. So jogging a few laps and proceeding with walking up and down lunges and high knees across the court and torso twists is more the way to go. Once you're done playing, then it is a good idea to sit down and do some still stretches holding each for 30 seconds or so to cool down the muscles that were just tensing for the past hour or so.
Strength:
You have to be strong in tennis, even if you're only ten. While it is a good idea to hire a personal trainer,this is not practical and most people cannot afford one. You can pay a visit to a bookstore to evaluate the many good tennis exercise books on the shelves that will give you the same exercises a trainer will. Kids should work out with supervision. The workout can take place anywhere; in the house, apartment or backyard, but it has to be done correctly. Strength building exercises should be done twice a week. Things like lunges, planks, squats, abs and push ups. You don't even need weights, your body weight and a medicine ball with a rubber band will do most of the time. These exercises should be done in several sets and made up of several repetitions.
What happens when you play and you're weak? Your muscles get tired sooner, you get out of breath, the lactic acid crawls into the muscles and you stop bending your knees, you stop accelerating your arm on your serve and you are no longer capable of running down the balls and keeping it in play long enough to win points. Strong muscles also help prevent injuries and give you the force you need to create power and play at a higher level.
Speaking of injury prevention, there are injury prevention exercises that should be done before practice with a rubber band. These will ensure that the correct muscles are warmed up with several sets of restraining repetitions. If you are not sure what these terms mean, you can always ask a coach or look it up online, there is a ton of material written on the subject.
<Fitness:
All sports require off court fitness to make you better, faster,and stronger. This is necessary if you want to compete at a high level. Some people play tennis to get fit. These exercises are good for all children and can help fight fight childhood obesity if done on a regular basis.
If you want to be a competitive tennis player good fitness is essential. It is necessary to help grind out those long matches. You need to do long distance running of several miles a week and short timed miles once a week. Long distance running is not very good for tennis players because it builds the long lean muscles they really do not use. Long distance once a week is for stamina, the muscles you want to build are quick fire sprinting ones. Biking is also a great way to get those muscles working. Interval workouts are the best for tennis, where you sprint for 30 seconds then jog for 3 minutes. In tennis its also important to be able to move in all four directions, up back and side to side. Shuffle sprints are very important as well. Last but not least recommendation is plyometrics. There is nothing better for tennis. That involves a little bit of jump rope and a lot of jumping and sprinting, hurdles and boxes. Don't forget to give yourself days off and alternate the workouts to give yourself time to regroup and prevent injuries!
Food:
Athletes need to eat, they need energy and they need muscles. Unless you're playing defense on a football team, you need to be light enough to fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee too. Which means eating right. Athletes need carbs but need to limit the fat, because the fat won't let the body use the carbs. If you watched the Olympics and saw the special on what Michael Phelps eats, you would be shocked, but athletes like that burn more calories than we can imagine. It is good to eat a while before you play and pack snacks if you plan on playing a while. Good to go for lean meat protein and low fat foods. Hydrating is perhaps the most important, since tennis is not only physical but also playing in hot weather typically. 16-20 ounces of Propel throughout an hour sounds ok. Visits to Starbucks for coffee are not at the top of the list as caffeine is a stimulant and can make you jittery. Fruits and nuts make perfect snacks while you play. After you finish with your tennis for the day, eat within 30 minutes, it will fit in the metabolic schedule your body maintains to get you refueled and ready to play again.
This little intro to preparation sounds like a lot, but really everything listed are just small elements of the whole picture of competitive tennis. Its hard to find the time to do everything because of the hectic lives we lead, kids lead, but at the same time its a very rewarding thing, as all these things are not work in a cubicle or lessons at schoold behind the desk. These activities should be fun and benefit the overall health of your body. These things are for your tennis, but even more so for you. So think of it as you time and don't be lazy.
Check out this really great fitness resource http://fitspott.typepad.com/fitspott/
Visit Tennis Racquets For Kids to help children play tennis.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Long Island Tennis Magazine Features Tennis Racquets For Kids,Inc.
Long Island Tennis Magazine, featured Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc., in its charitable iniative section in the March/April edition. The magazine is designed to promote and develop the sport of tennis on every level in the community.
In the spirit of community, Tennis Racquets for Kids, was acknowledged for their dedication to provide every child an opportunity to play tennis. This non-profit, tennis charity was the brain child of twin high school tennis players, who realized that their outgrown racquets would provide a wonderful opportunity for children who could not afford their own tennis racquets. They realized that other tennis players would also have old racquets laying around that would be cherished by those who were less fortunate.
The concept has grown in the community, and has already extended to other parts of the nation. With the phrase, "Donate for the Love of the Game!", people have have come forward to donate their old racquets at local drop off sites, or shipped their racquets to the Tennis Racquets For Kids Inc., directly. Tennis Centers are also getting involved. Temples and churches have collected racquets to support this tennis charity.
Even in these difficult times, people have opened their hearts and realized this opportunity to start to make the world a better place. Think of the impact that could be created if every tennis center, every tennis pro, every recreational or serious tennis player, and industry, would take a moment and realize this great opportunity.
We hope that we can all take a moment to " Donate For the Love of the Game" To bring smiles to children, and to bring families together!!
In the spirit of community, Tennis Racquets for Kids, was acknowledged for their dedication to provide every child an opportunity to play tennis. This non-profit, tennis charity was the brain child of twin high school tennis players, who realized that their outgrown racquets would provide a wonderful opportunity for children who could not afford their own tennis racquets. They realized that other tennis players would also have old racquets laying around that would be cherished by those who were less fortunate.
The concept has grown in the community, and has already extended to other parts of the nation. With the phrase, "Donate for the Love of the Game!", people have have come forward to donate their old racquets at local drop off sites, or shipped their racquets to the Tennis Racquets For Kids Inc., directly. Tennis Centers are also getting involved. Temples and churches have collected racquets to support this tennis charity.
Even in these difficult times, people have opened their hearts and realized this opportunity to start to make the world a better place. Think of the impact that could be created if every tennis center, every tennis pro, every recreational or serious tennis player, and industry, would take a moment and realize this great opportunity.
We hope that we can all take a moment to " Donate For the Love of the Game" To bring smiles to children, and to bring families together!!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Alley Pond Tennis Center Supports Tennis Charity
The Alley Pond Tennis Center is supporting Tennis Racquets for Kids Inc. The center has many programs for children of all ages. Owner Hemel Cosme is excited to help provide an opportunity to less fortunate children to have fun and experience the game of tennis. The Alley Pond Tennis Center is now an official drop off site for used racquets that will be collected and then donated to organizations that work with underprivilged children.
If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org
Monday, August 25, 2008
Tennis Charity Distributes Fliers
Today, Paige and Zachary, Co-Presidents of Tennis Racquets for Kids, Inc. gave out fliers to fans outside the U.S. Open. Everyone was enthusiastic about the new charity and about doing something constructive to help others and recycle racquets to preserve the environment as well. We hope that collecting used Head, Wilson, Babolat, Prince, Yonex, and other brands of tenis racquets will provide the opportunity for other children to play tennis.
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