Wednesday, November 14, 2007

11/11/07 Doing what it takes to qualify for the playoffs


Tennis Los Angeles player James Nall was at 2 wins with 2 days left in the season, with little time left to qualify for the playoffs. The league sets a minimum number of wins - usually 5 - for players to qualify. James did it. He narrowly qualified for the playoffs by winning all 3 of his weekend matches. Here are his words of the experience: "Sure, I gotta say it's extremely rewarding to work hard at something and see positive results. The most rewarding result from this season is the improved control. This last weekend it seemed to click for me and I believe it comes directly from playing consistantly and competitively. Now I'm developing a better understanding of sportsmanship and a healthier concept of competitiveness. Win or lose it's great exercise and every day on the court is a day to improve the skills. Tennis is such a mental game and every play effects both players confidence. A better player can be beat by a smarter player and so every match is unique and everything from the weather to the cup of coffee you have in the morning can effect the outcome. I sense that the more I improve my mental game and confidence on the court the more I will be able to apply those skills to everything in my life, work, art, relationships. Everyone I've played has been so friendly and encouraging. You've got a real positive thing going on here and I'm enjoying it tremendously."