Sectional Runner Up

A year ago Cal walked off the tennis court, looked at me and said, "Mom, I think I'm done."  At that point I couldn't blame him.  His junior year of tennis had been extremely disappointed for several reasons and was only topped by the fact that they lost in the first round of sectionals to a team that they had beat in the regular season 5-0.  I had watched his frustration all season and although I wanted him to play his senior year, I understood how he felt last fall. 

Cal spent the winter playing indoor soccer with his friends at the middle school and talked to the coach in the Spring about playing that sport in the fall.  We told him we would support any decision he made.  We encouraged him to practice both in the summer and decide in August.  Personally, I had resolved months before that I had watched his last high school tennis match.  

Much to our surprise Cal did not need to take all summer to decide.  In May he sat down in the living room chair, looked at both of us and said, "I've decided that I am going to play tennis."  Both Doug and I were thrilled.  We love soccer, but Cal is an awesome tennis player and the team needed him.  Thus, he began practicing with the team as soon as golf ended.  

When Cal made that decision I silently made one too.  I promised myself that I would not miss a game, match or even point of his senior year.  Cam and I traveled all over Northern Indiana to see Cal play and we enjoyed it thoroughly.  His intensity on the court was incredible and he improved greatly from the first serve against West Noble at the scrimmage to the last one tonight against Warsaw.  I know he was disappointed with the outcome of the evening, but we couldn't have been more proud.  He played an awesome match just coming up short in the end.  How fitting it was that in his last high school match his was the lone court still playing, still competing, long after his teammates were done.