Sam's New Tennis Racquet
Activity Date: 2/18/2014
Posting Updated 2/19/2014

Sam had dabbled in the tennis on and off a number of years, participating in group lessons at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club one Summer, and a Parks and Recreation camp another summer.  He would occasionally volley with friends.  He opted to join the Carpinteria High School Tennis Team for the spring season of his 9th grade freshman year.  To get up to speed, he signed up for a package of 10 private lessons and took his first one on Saturday, 1/18/2014 with one of the Club Pros, Elliott Markowitz, at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club.  Elliott is in his early 20s.  He has an Economics degree from UCSB, and played a couple of years with the city college team (SBCC) plus 4 years varsity at Santa Barbara High School.  Sam likes working with Elliott and has made impressive progress in the past month.

The club is about a 4 mile bike ride for Sam each way [Google Earth KML File].  In addition to his private lessons, he is also training with his high school team daily, so he is pretty immersed in Tennis.  His one way trip to CHS is a little over a mile.  He rides home after school, and then back for tennis, so 4 miles a day, plus another 8 when he plays at the club.

Sam's first match is against Ventura this coming Monday (this posting was on the preceding Thursday).  Currently Sam is one of only 2 freshman on his varsity team of 18 players (no JV team).  He isn't a powerhouse yet, but is handling his beginner role well, against more experienced competition, without exhibiting too much frustration.

Sam bought his first racquet which came via FedEx on Tuesday 2/18.  He wrapped the grip after school and headed back for team practice.  I followed and took a few snaps.  He wasn't thrilled about his dad taking photos while at practice.  The lighting was even but weak under an overcast sky a half hour before sunset.  To get enough shutter speed to freeze the motion, I needed to dial the ISO up to 3200, so the photos are a bit grainy and not suitable for zooming or enlargements, but they do record his initial outing with his first personal tennis racquet.

8/2014 Update

Sam completed his first season with the CHS Tennis Team.  The lessons he took prior to the school season gave him just enough of an edge to be a starter on the varsity team.  He has continued playing at least several days a week through the summer.  He now has a girl friend who is serious about her tennis, so that likely contributes to his motivation.

After a year plus of weekly piano lessons, he is finally starting to practice without prodding and now enjoys playing.  It's nice to hear the sound coming from his room.  His 2014 summer was a mix of volunteer work at our local library, tennis, running, piano, going to the beach with his girlfriend Odessa, and reading.  He rarely watches TV, but does spend time on his computer.