It’s been many years since I was in school, but we still celebrate the end of the school year. Maybe it has something to do with being married to a teacher, but it also seems to me to be the unofficial beginning of summer. When I was in school, it meant even more to me. We might have had a chore or two, but mostly our days were our own.
I had played tennis some with Eddie Wise and Kenny Wesley, but not enough to be as good as either of them. One of my best friends was Ted Anglyn, and he was really good. In the summer of 1977, I decided I was going to get better. So unless I specifically had something else to do, I was on the tennis courts. The best courts around were at Alexander Park in McDonough, where they had two courts (now a parking lot). It was usually just my small circle of friends there, particularly during the heat of the day. In the evenings, once things cooled off, we would have to share them, but Ted and I frequently played doubles against anyone who was willing. We learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses, becoming a decent team.
Ted convinced me to try out for the tennis team in my senior year, and I made it. I’m not sure if they took everyone who tried out, but certainly, most of those interested made it. Ted was playing first singles, and I was playing third. Ted and I also played first doubles together. We would win matches here and there, but had not won as a team all year. We thought we had a chance when we visited Troup County. Ted won his singles. I won mine. Then we won our doubles together. At the end of the day, we were all tied, and it came down to a tiebreaker match that was either our second or third male doubles team. They pulled out a tough match, and we celebrated all the way back to McDonough. At least we didn’t finish winless.
Everyone was invited to the state championships in those days, so I got to go. It began on a school day, so our team made the trip to Atlanta. It was held at some private school with magnificent tennis courts. I was afraid we would all be done early and have to return to school mid-day, but that didn’t happen. I made it into the second round! OK, it was a bye, but I was happy to take it. I played the winner of two tennis powerhouse schools, and I was just trying to win points. I managed to get some, but never a threat to win a game.
And that’s how my season ended. As at the end of every match, I met my opponent at the net and wished him well going forward. I suppose anyone watching would have called me the loser, and that was certainly true in one sense. But, I was outside planning tennis at a beautiful facility while most of my peers were stuck in school. I had become a better tennis player than I had been at the beginning of the season. I had also stepped out of my comfort zone and done something hard. Sometimes, everyone wins.
If you enter a race and finish last, you are a winner. The loser never entered the race.
– Roger Crawford