Slice of sporting life: I only knew what I did from high school gym class

by Samantha DeSouza

My head bobbled back and forth while following the bright neon green tennis ball at the franklin pierce women’s tennis match.

(Photo: Samantha DeSouza)

This was the first tennis match I had made it to this year and my second one ever. I have watched it before on television but never quite understood the rules and how the game is played. I had gone there with little to no knowledge of the sport but I was hoping to leave with a new understanding.

As the first match began, I noticed the athletes were trading in their practice rackets for game rackets. I had thought you would want to practice with the implement you would be using to get used to it. Later I learned that after hitting very fast hits, the strings in the racket become loose.

When walking throughout campus you can often hear grunts and balls smashing against rackets and while sitting up close to the game all of that was amplified. The crisp fall air was quiet, and I could hear shoes scuffing on the court and players calling the ball out after every other hit. One of the calls was close and the opponent had challenged the play, which I learned you could do.

This morning I had woken up with a base foundation about tennis that I had learned from high school gym class and I left with a bundle of new material that will help me when watching future matches.