My mother and father played tennis on one of their first dates. They went on to teach all of us six kids how to play tennis, and I grew up loving the game. I played on the team at Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois, and I was fortunate enough to make the tennis team my freshman year at the University of Notre Dame. ND had just gone co-ed, and our fledgling tennis team fought hard, but we lost to every college we played except the last one--Northwestern University. We celebrated that victory big-time at Diana's Greek Restaurant in Chicago with flaming saganaki, lots of "oompahs!" and a conga line snaking around the other tables.
I'm grateful that as a quiet, bookish girl I had a physical outlet like tennis to channel my energy and intensity. Sports can sometimes take precedence over academics, but they can also be empowering on many levels. Here's a link to a beautiful, courageous essay written by Christine Stark, an award-winning writer (Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation) and friend of mine from grad school at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Please read it and share it with others:
http://open.salon.com/blog/ontheissuesmagazine/2012/08/16/becoming_glory_kicking_goals_to_transcend_the_night_a_memo
I'm grateful that as a quiet, bookish girl I had a physical outlet like tennis to channel my energy and intensity. Sports can sometimes take precedence over academics, but they can also be empowering on many levels. Here's a link to a beautiful, courageous essay written by Christine Stark, an award-winning writer (Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation) and friend of mine from grad school at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Please read it and share it with others:
http://open.salon.com/blog/ontheissuesmagazine/2012/08/16/becoming_glory_kicking_goals_to_transcend_the_night_a_memo
I didn't post much on Fly-over Country during the summer because I needed to get off the grid for a while and write, read, travel and spend time with family. But now I'll get back to posting regularly as classes start at Southwest Minnesota State University next week.
I hope you had a wonderful summer too, and that writing and reading gave you much joy!
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