Link: Tennis Star Andrea Jaeger's New Life as a Nun : People.com.
This headline on my personalized Google home page just caught my attention. My parents were avid tennis players and fans, so I started playing probably around the age of 3. I was fairly good, but not gifted, and when I was 10 or so, my dad went looking at area clubs for a more competitive program. I ended up taking lessons (and working at for a summer in college) at the club where Andrea was a rising star and her dad was a pro, so I watched her and her sister from afar. I suppose every kid there wanted to be just like her. I have to say that I don't remember her being particularly nice (her older sister was gracious, though) and it's interesting to see how people change coming into adulthood. I also remember her dad being somewhat of a taskmaster and challenging me when I was matched against a kid he didn't think I could beat. I think he offered me a soda for every game I could win versus this girl with the strong implication that I was the weaker player, and I ended winning the match. Tennis beyond a certain level requires more pyschological stamina than physical prowess, and at that time of my life, I didn't have the mental armor to be as consistently tough as competitive play required. It's interesting now to think back about how people like Roland Jaeger dealt with kids and I still wonder about the proper way to motivate a kid and what's developmentally appropriate. Anyway, the bottom line here with my meandering thoughts is I can't believe Andrea turned out to be a NUN! Good for her for finding her calling!
Recent Comments