SF Tennis Freak

Archive for the ‘General’ Category

To Graphene or not to Graphene?

That’s the question I’m left with after demo’ing the new HEAD Graphene Speed Pro, the updated version of my current racquet the HEAD YouTek Speed MP 315. Actually, “souped up” is a more accurate description to describe the difference between the two. But rather than writing more, I’ll let you enjoy the video I shot immediately after using it.

(Click here for a discussion on the racquet specs in Part 2.)

(This is raw unedited footage video shot on the fly with my Galaxy S3.)

The word ‘hero’ is overused these days.  But I can find no better word to describe Jason Collins after his decision to publicly come out as a gay man in the NBA.

The story of Jason’s coming out hit the airwaves with the release of this Sports Illustrated excerpt:

I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.

I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, “I’m different.” If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.

Jason Collins (Sports Illustrated, May 6, 2013)

Many praised Jason as a pioneer, though I’m sure that probably wasn’t his intent. After all, the media glare that comes along with being a pioneer is usually not very positive, especially with respect to issues such as sexual orientation.  One need only look at Ellen Degeneres to see what’s in store for Jason.

Ellen had a high-profile coming out with lots of initial support, followed by intense media coverage and the public spectacle of her failed romance with Anne Heche.  It took a while, but Ellen finally found sustained success both professionally and personally.

Even if Jason’s coming out qualifies as a trailblazing moment, does it also warrant giving Jason the label of ‘hero’?  In the aftermath, there’s been a ton of discussion about Collins’ status as a hero, with many detractors blanching at Jason being labeled as such for simply coming out as a gay man.  Conservative columnist Ben Shapiro of Breitbart.com tweeted this to his followers:

So Jason Collins is a hero because he’s gay? Our standard for heroism has dropped quite a bit since Normandy.

Ben has previously used the word ‘hero’ in tweets about conservative columnist Mark Levin, Adam Carolla, and Tea Party extremist Ted Cruz. It’s hard to get up in arms about comments like his when these guys are his definition of a hero.

But I must admit that I also struggled with the use of the word ‘hero’.  We live in a country where anyone who does the right thing is described as being a hero. I don’t want to get into a discussion about what it means when helping someone in distress is “heroic”, but I will say that the word ‘hero’ is used so often that it’s become trite.

I’d like to think that heroic actions meet a higher standard of qualification. It’s heroic when someone does the right thing in a situation when doing so defies logic, and puts them at risk of harm/injury.  But if that’s my working definition, then Jason’s coming out qualifies on all fronts.

At 34, there was no need for him to come out.  He wasn’t being blackmailed, and he didn’t come out with the expectation of a huge payday. Jason came out because he wanted to be happy.  So without any outside factors forcing his hand, and no expectation of financial gain, his decision to come out definitely defies logic.

Additionally, in light of derogatory comments that fellow athletes have made about gays in the locker room (like Chris Culliver of the 49’ers, and retired NBA player Tim Hardaway), Jason’s decision to come out does seem to put him at risk with teammates. And not surprisingly, his announcement has also put him at risk due to death threats.

Given my earlier definition of ‘hero’, Jason’s coming out is very significant. One might even argue that it deserves a place in the rarefied air previously occupied by other pioneering athletes like Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, or Shirley Muldowney.

If Jason doesn’t meet my higher standard in order to qualify as a hero, I’m in need of serious course correction for what does.  Sorry Jason. It took a little bit for me to get there, but I did.  And like Michelle Obama, I’ve got your back.

So proud of you, Jason Collins! This is a huge step forward for our country. We’ve got your back! -mo

— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) April 29, 2013

(Third match in the documentation of my 2013 USTA Adult League season)

Date: 4/28/2013
Location: San Francisco Tennis Club
Conditions: Indoors
Doubles or Singles Played: Singles
Personal Match Result: 6-2 6-1 Loss
Team Match Result: 1-4 Loss
Personal Season Record: 1-2

Match Notes: Indoor conditions were at SFTC fine. It was a warm day in SF, so indoors was a little warm and humid.  But that had no bearing on my match, which I can only refer to as a “Slice and Dice” tennis nightmare.

Physically, I felt fine. Mentally, I was miserable after the first few games. I kept telling myself to keep positive, but it was tough because I hate playing matches like this. Always have, and probably always will. I know I shouldn’t joke about gun violence, but all I could think was “Someone please shoot me” with each passing game.

Almost every one of my opponent’s shots landed short, with little to moderate pace and tons of spin. This applied to his serve as well as his groundstrokes. I shanked short balls all over the court, struggling to find a consistent rhythm on my ground game. He wasn’t a bad guy, but his Cuisinart game (and some tight calls on balls before they landed) annoyed and frustrated me from start to finish. I hit a couple of nice shots and service returns, but not enough to get anything going or change the outcome.

Though I was miserable dealing with his unorthodox game, I won’t resort to saying, “I wish he would play ‘real’ tennis” like I’ve heard others say in the same situation. It’s not my opponent’s job to hit balls that are easy for me to tee off on. It’s my job to adapt my game to the situation. I just wish I’d had the patience to do that.

Going forward, I’m sticking with doubles. I realize that dealing with opponents like this one is part of the challenge for singles, but it’s a challenge that holds little interest for me these days. Singles will now be relegated to the practice courts with friends.

The one positive I did take from this match was a successful demo of the new Graphene Head Speed Pro. I started the match with it, but switched back to my regular (and more familiar) Head Speed MP 315 after falling behind 2-5 in the first set. (I should note that I won fewer games with my ‘familiar’ racquet after the switch.) It felt good.  Stay tuned for the racquet review later this week.

This week’s question comes from David S. of San Francisco, and is one of the most common questions when buying a new racquet.

Question: I want to buy a new racquet, but I don’t know what to look for. How do I know which racquet is right for me?

Answer: Keep it simple when choosing a racquet. Here are 4 easy tips to help:

1. Demo several racquets
2. Ask yourself “Do I need more power or more control?”  This will help you decide on racquet stiffness.  Stiffer = more power, More flex = more control
3. Use as much weight as you can handle in a racquet (it adds to stability)
4. String patterns matter. Open pattern = More spin, Closed pattern = more control and durability of your strings.

Good luck with your search.

Thanks Marla!
Got a tennis question, but no one to ask?
Send it via email or tweet for “Ask Marla”, a (hopefully) weekly (or biweekly) question-and-answer with Marla Reid of San Francisco’s City Racquet Shop.

About Marla Reid

Marla Reid is a respected tennis pro/coach in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s coached nationally-ranked teams and players at Occidental College, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of Kansas, and Florida Tech, and has over 15 years of experience at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels. Marla has an M.A. in Exercise Physiology, and is a seasoned racquet stringer.

About City Racquet Shop

City Racquet Shop offers, superior products/services, outstanding customer service, and a community-oriented destination for tennis players to shop, hang out and talk about tennis.

City Racquet Shop online: www.cityracquetshop.com
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City Racquet Shop on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cityracquetshop

For many of its’ members, the GLTF of San Francisco is more than just a recreational tennis league.  It’s a place where many of us cultivate deep friendships that, in many ways, become our families.

It’s in this spirit that I’m saddened to write about the passing of Thomas (Tom) Pugh. I asked Jason Atwater, a current GLTF’er and one of Tom’s many SF friends, to send me a little something to share with everyone.

This is from Jason:

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of a beloved former GLTF member, Thomas Pugh.  Tom fought bravely against his lymphoma, but lost the battle when it claimed his life on Sunday April 21, 2013.

Tom had a great love for all things tennis, and was a very active member of the GLTF during his time in San Francisco. He served on its’ board of directors, and even captained several 3.5 and 4.0 teams before he and his partner relocated to the bright lights/big city dreams of NYC.

Those who played tennis with Tom knew that he had a wickedly fast serve, and an even more wicked sense of humor.  I’m certain that somewhere out there, Tom is making the other angels laugh their wings off as he serves up aces on a heavenly court.

Tom is survived by his loving partner Michael Artura, his sister Karen, and his parents, Patricia and Jerry Pugh.  A local memorial service is being planned and info is forthcoming.

Jason’s turning his grief into activism by running a half marathon in Tom’s honor at the San Francisco Nike Women’s Marathon & Half Marathon. His fundraising page is called “Running for Tom P“, and proceeds will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You can help Jason’s fundraising efforts by clicking this link to make your donation: http://pages.teamintraining.org/gba/nikesf13/running4TomP.

Date: 4/20/2013
Location: San Francisco State University (GLTF Home Courts)
Conditions: Upper 60’s, sunny, no wind
Doubles or Singles Played: Doubles
Personal Match Result: 6-1 6-4 Loss
Team Match Result: 1-4 Loss
Personal Season Record: 1-1
Team Season Record: 0-3

Match Notes: Conditions were excellent, with sunny skies, mild temperatures, and no wind. Our match was against one of the two 4.0 “sister” teams being fielded by the GLTF (Gay and Lesbian Tennis Federation).

My partner for doubles was Leo, an excellent player who reads the court well and is great at picking on opponent weaknesses. We’d played successful practice sets before and had paired well. However, we were gonna have our hands full at #1 doubles against fellow GLTF’ers, Rick and Derek. I’ve known these guys for years, so I knew what to expect: a tough match.

Rick and Derek are great players with solid serves, solid volleys, and great ground games that can hurt you from either the forehand or backhand side. To make matters more challenging, they’ve played doubles together for years and are a very successful team. Leo and I are solid as well, but don’t have the same level of pace and consistency on a stroke per stroke basis. We needed for them to have an off day, and we needed to play cleanly.

I played the Ad court, which is okay because my best strokes (inside-out forehand/crosscourt backhand) are well-suited to that side. We won the toss, chose to serve, and things got complicated quickly. I was broken in the very first game, which also included a shanked backhand return winner on the sideline about a foot from the net post, and a self-inflicted blow to the knee with the butt of my handle when I unsuccessfully tried to sidestep AND hit a slice on a ball that came blasting back right at my feet. Yeah, it was one of “those” days.

The first set went by quickly. We didn’t play badly; we just didn’t play clean enough on a point-by-point basis to put them under any significant pressure. And since starting with two service breaks can put you in a hole very quickly, the first set was lost before we could get anything going. The second set was better, but only because we mounted a comeback from 0-4 to get back on serve at 4-5 before doing down 6-4.

Losses are never fun, but this wasn’t necessarily a “bad loss” because we lost to two strong (and deserving) players who are starting to have success even at the 4.5 level. Our good shots came back with interest, and they always seemed to have an answer for our best. I could’ve served better, and there were a few too many unforced errors for my liking, but other than that I played a solid and fairly relaxed match.

That’s the goal these days.  Stay relaxed, embrace the tension of the moment with a deep breath (to relax the shoulders and arm), and try not to “press” on my shots, regardless of the match situation or level of my opponent.

And maybe next time I’ll pass on Miley’s “Party in the USA” as my pre-match jam.