In late winter of 2012 when our boys have been six and 4, we spent a couple of days at an indoor resort that took place to be internet hosting the Beneath-14 Provincial Tennis Championship for Ontario. What an eye-opening knowledge it was to see 13 and 14 12 months-olds playing at this kind of a large level, displaying a lot of of the expertise and competitive spirit that one particular may see on the professional tour.
As I watched two gamers named Christian and Jack execute breathtaking rallies of 10, 15, 20 spectacular shots just to win one particular level at a time, I bear in mind considering that it need to be a great issue for developing youngsters to put in the steady hard work needed to build this kind of ability and grit, and to compete via sport - I could picture some of the several useful lifestyle lessons to be realized from this kind of a journey.
Though I hacked about with most sports activities by means of my childhood, I did not know something about the junior tennis globe, nor had I ever had a tennis lesson myself, so as this epic tennis match unfolded, I looked around the viewing gallery and identified who appeared to be the coach for one particular or both of these gamers, taking in the action with the players' mother and father.
When the match was in excess of, I looked for an opportunity to introduce myself to the coach, and in meeting Jeff Elwood, I was taken by his real warmth even though meeting a comprehensive stranger, and in graciously sharing some thoughts on how a young family may possibly proceed in providing their youngsters an chance to increase in adore with the sport although building sound capabilities.
In helping our older son navigate his way by means of the junior tennis globe in excess of the previous 5 many years, I have developed a respectable comprehending of a couple of of the moving parts that make up a higher efficiency tennis culture.
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You have numerous great families who are looking to give their kids a meaningful expertise although they have a chance to build their fitness and realize the worth of embracing life principles like fairness, good perform ethic, and perseverance.
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There are invariably a handful of families who encourage their young children to win at any value, which generates struggling for other young children and their households who are left with minor comfort other than the possibility to recognize that at times, daily life is unfair and all of us get to decide on our own behaviour, which in fact ends up currently being a single of the most beneficial lessons of the junior tennis expertise.
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And then you have coaches, men and females who place forth considerable bodily and psychological hard work every time they step on court, seeking to make an truthful living while guiding their college students via a most tough journey, often with hefty expectations from mothers and fathers.
I have a whole lot of respect for tennis coaches at every single level of the sport. But I never want a career as a higher level junior tennis coach upon either of our boys. Even though there is so considerably very good that can come from this kind of a job, the unsettling actuality is that several coaches are a single critical injury away from financial strain and probably needing to shift to a various career. And only they know the quantity of stress that can be concerned, managing the feelings and expectations of a broad assortment of personalities in their players and their parents.
Studying all of this in excess of the past number of many years deepened my respect for Jeff Elwood. He was a very respected coach of some of the greatest junior tennis players in the nation, and I was a full stranger to him, a mother or father of two little boys who had done small but smack about a balloon with ping pong paddles right here and there. And nevertheless, he was notably type, patient, and thoughtful in sharing tips - how extraordinary in today's globe and particularly in junior tennis underneath the conditions of that day.
The truth is, I never bear in mind significantly of the specifics of what Jeff shared. What I keep in mind most is that he treated me with real warmth, the type that gets deposited into one's emotional bank account and doesn't go away for many years, decades, possibly even for lifestyle. It is like Maya Angelou when explained:
I have realized that folks will forget what you mentioned, folks will fail to remember what you did, but people will in no way fail to remember how you made them truly feel.
How we treat others, even strangers throughout brief, sudden encounters issues. We never ever know when a straightforward act of kindness - holding open a door, providing a pleasant smile, covering the bill of the person behind us in a drive by means of, even just sitting in silence with someone who is in ache - will serve as fuel for a fellow human becoming to believe in the goodness of men and women. There is real magic in currently being type and generous, especially when there is no tangible reward for creating this energy.
In 2016, I ran into Jeff Elwood again, unsurprisingly, at the Ontario Provincial Championships where he was coaching one particular of Canada's best Below-twelve players. It was with fantastic pleasure that I mentioned hello and advised him how considerably I appreciated his kindness when we met in 2012. He was just as pleasant and gracious as I remembered him.
Jeff is now in real estate, helping men and women with the largest transactions of their lives. In speaking with Jeff about genuine estate issues right here and there more than the past yr, I know how fortunate his customers are to have him representing them - this isn't surprising, of course, as our values are felt by other folks regardless of our chosen profession. So an unequivocal shout out - if you or a loved a single are ever in need of an trustworthy and diligent true estate agent in Ontario, I don't feel you can do much better than in going with Jeff I know that for any long term true estate transactions that my household may well be involved with, I will be calling him.
ElwoodProperties.ca
Jeff Elwood @ Instagram
Jeff, if you come about to read through this a single day, thank you for being a purpose why I think in the goodness of folks.
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