Is it worth the time and money?

[Amir]

You may all see this question al lot, but should I quit tennis? I started in Highschool my ninth grade year and I'm already better than more than half of my team. I go to the best tennis academy in Georgia and practice 3 hours a day. I really want to play for a D1 school but my friend from the tennis academy who is 15 in Georgia and 150 or something in the nation said "It doesn't look like my sport". I'm starting this year to play tournaments and I already lost in the first round of my L4. I'm so confused. It feels like I should quit because Im wasting time and money playing a sport that'll lead me no where. I COULD run cross country and I know I could get a scholarship because I've ran a couple times and the coach said I'd be extremely good. All in all, I'm just asking everyone if I should quit and run cross country or if I actually have a chance playing D1 like unc and those schools. I really don't want the whole "Just work harder" speec because I've gotten it a million times. Thanks

[chalkflewup]

Forget your friend and forget the coach. Just follow your heart. Play the sport for the love of the game even if its not tennis!

By the way, there's a kid out of Seattle that is a great tennis player but an even better runner. If you like them both, why not compete in both?

If you live in a strong section and continue to excel, you can find a college. Don't worry about chasing these national tournaments for a college scholarship. IMHO it's not necessary if you live in a strong section and have success against other players.

Good luck kid. You'll do the right thing.

[TCF]

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[BMC9670]

Originally Posted by TCF

Play the sports you love and concentrate on academics as far as financial aide goes. If your talent blossoms, the athletic scholarships will be there.

I agree. I was going to ask why the importance on getting a scholarship? If it's a money thing, there is good aide out there. Tennis and CC have fewer scholarship opportunities than "main stream" sports, so it's going to be harder to get them.

College is to prepare for a career. Your career is not going to be a tennis player or a runner, so pick the school that is best for your career goals. Then, try and play the sport you love. You never know what can happen. I picked a school that fit my career goals best, and got two partial scholarships - one for track and field and the other for academics. After two years, I got burned out on track and made the basketball team as a walk-on. Basketball was the sport I loved most, not so coincidentally.

As to whether it's worth the time and money. I say yes! You will likely not get a monetary return on the money, but you will be good at a sport you can play for the rest of your life.

[Amir]

Not really a scholarship, just an opportunity to play college. It's just that I've been playing a lot of tournaments and haven't been getting far. I'm just not gonna listen to what others say. Thanks for the support

[Misterbill]

Originally Posted by Amir

Not really a scholarship, just an opportunity to play college. It's just that I've been playing a lot of tournaments and haven't been getting far. I'm just not gonna listen to what others say. Thanks for the support

If you are not gonna listen to what others say, not sure how many more responses you will be getting.

You asked if you have a chance to play at a school such as UNC. One thing you can do is check out their roster and research the background of the team members. Then compare your accomplishments to theirs and listen to what your comparison tells you

[Amir]

When I said others I meant the ones that are bringing me DOWN! Lol

[treeman10]

Do you like running track? Also, I know what the investment in time is for tennis in college, I am unsure about the time required in track, maybe it is the same in terms of practice. Tennis is a long haul sport, meaning it takes a long period of time to see overall improvement and that may be frustrating you. Think of which one you really enjoy, how much time you have to put into each sport. Do you like the track group generally? What about the tennis guys? (aside from the ones bringing you down). Who do you enjoy more socially? If you play on a college team those are the people you hang with and have a chance to be lifelong friends with. So I don't have any answers, just giving you questions to think about. You have time to be good at either one and meet your goals, you have to decide which is more fun for you. That is the one you will be better at.

[Amir]

Originally Posted by treeman10

Do you like running track? Also, I know what the investment in time is for tennis in college, I am unsure about the time required in track, maybe it is the same in terms of practice. Tennis is a long haul sport, meaning it takes a long period of time to see overall improvement and that may be frustrating you. Think of which one you really enjoy, how much time you have to put into each sport. Do you like the track group generally? What about the tennis guys? (aside from the ones bringing you down). Who do you enjoy more socially? If you play on a college team those are the people you hang with and have a chance to be lifelong friends with. So I don't have any answers, just giving you questions to think about. You have time to be good at either one and meet your goals, you have to decide which is more fun for you. That is the one you will be better at.

I answered tennis to all of those questions, so that means something. ThankYou so much. I'm definitely gonna stick with tennis. Made me realize what's really important.

[comeback]

i would encourage you to continue tennis because it is a lifetime sport that you can continue to improve and play for 50 more years..it will help you meet more people and develop better social skills..Running is ok but there is less technique to strive for and many runners burn out or have permanent injury..You might not be able to run for as many years as you play tennis..becoming a lifetime tennis player is not easy but so worth it

[barringer97]

Honestly, I don't think anyone who starts tennis in 9th grade (14-15 years old), should be paying for an academy.

[Number1Coach]

Originally Posted by Amir

When I said others I meant the ones that are bringing me DOWN! Lol

You play tennis either for fun or business if your wanting to play on a D1 team you will have to treat it more like a business cause there are a lot of guys that have played this game a lot longer then you and their parents have poured lots of $$$ into it "investment" , the same thing you do in a business you invest $$$ to build your business .

The reason some people bring you down is because the truth is when you build a business there is a lot of long hrs. of work ,hard work and when it comes to the curve of profit seems like the pay off will never come and sometimes it don't but if you have a dream of making it keep at it other wise go out on the weekends crack a lemonade and have fun swing away .

[treeman10]

Originally Posted by barringer97

Honestly, I don't think anyone who starts tennis in 9th grade (14-15 years old), should be paying for an academy.

I think he has to in order to have any chance to catch up. Having said that I thought he was in 9th grade now, but actually unsure how old he is now. Amir, are you taking privates with anyone or just in a group setting? Do you have a "true coach" looking out for you that could advise you (versus someone just taking your money)? Do you have any older friends or older brothers of your friends that are in tennis that could give you an honest perspective? A parent that has been there/done that to talk to? Does your HS coach have any clue? (some do, but many don't when it comes to college tennis). It sounds like you are going for the tennis thing which is great, but I don't want you to be blind sided when it comes to college time. You have to understand the levels out there and decide if colleges you actually want to attend fit with your tennis. And you want to go to the right college, not just because it has tennis that fits. It is so much more than that.

You mentioned losing in first round. Ya, it can suck, but every player can tell you there are a lot more losses than wins for most players. That's the best way to learn. Painful, but ya gotta take something from every loss.

It's great you are going for it, but know what you are aiming for and see if it is realistically in the target for you. I know people in Georgia are nice, there has to be someone that knows you, where you are at tennis wise and can give you some guidance. Search them out, they won't offer unless you ask. Once you do however, most tennis people will love to tell you what they know, as evidenced by this forum.

[schang70]

Amir, don't quit. I started playing in the 9th grade as well. I would've killed to be part of a tennis academy. My parents couldn't afford any lessons let alone an academy. I read some tennis books and practiced all day against a backboard, and got to number 3 singles on my high school team. I played several USTA tournaments but got spanked each time. I tried out as a walk on at Vanderbilt but did not make the team. I didn't play tennis again for the next 20 years because of family and job. I am now 40 years old. I recently started to play again and looking to join a USTA league. I am once again excited about tennis. So don't quit, tennis is a sport for a lifetime.

[schang70]

Also, if you really love tennis and want to play college, what about playing for a D3 program with good academics? If I had to do it all over again, I probably would've gone to a D3 school with excellent academics and walked on to the tennis team.

[Amir]

Originally Posted by treeman10

I think he has to in order to have any chance to catch up. Having said that I thought he was in 9th grade now, but actually unsure how old he is now. Amir, are you taking privates with anyone or just in a group setting? Do you have a "true coach" looking out for you that could advise you (versus someone just taking your money)? Do you have any older friends or older brothers of your friends that are in tennis that could give you an honest perspective? A parent that has been there/done that to talk to? Does your HS coach have any clue? (some do, but many don't when it comes to college tennis). It sounds like you are going for the tennis thing which is great, but I don't want you to be blind sided when it comes to college time. You have to understand the levels out there and decide if colleges you actually want to attend fit with your tennis. And you want to go to the right college, not just because it has tennis that fits. It is so much more than that.

You mentioned losing in first round. Ya, it can suck, but every player can tell you there are a lot more losses than wins for most players. That's the best way to learn. Painful, but ya gotta take something from every loss.

It's great you are going for it, but know what you are aiming for and see if it is realistically in the target for you. I know people in Georgia are nice, there has to be someone that knows you, where you are at tennis wise and can give you some guidance. Search them out, they won't offer unless you ask. Once you do however, most tennis people will love to tell you what they know, as evidenced by this forum.

I'm in 10th grade. I started in October and my coaches are stunned by how well I've gotten. I take privates rarely and don't really have a "true" coach. I already know who I'm gonna ask to be my true coach tomorrow. I never really knew how important a mentoring coach is.
My high school coach does not believe in my goals of college tennis so there is no use in talking to him. My older siblings really have no clue about tennis and haven't had dreams of college sports, etc. Thank you so much for your advice. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's practice.

[Amir]

Originally Posted by Number1Coach

You play tennis either for fun or business if your wanting to play on a D1 team you will have to treat it more like a business cause there are a lot of guys that have played this game a lot longer then you and their parents have poured lots of $$$ into it "investment" , the same thing you do in a business you invest $$$ to build your business .

The reason some people bring you down is because the truth is when you build a business there is a lot of long hrs. of work ,hard work and when it comes to the curve of profit seems like the pay off will never come and sometimes it don't but if you have a dream of making it keep at it other wise go out on the weekends crack a lemonade and have fun swing away .

You're absolutely right when it comes to tennis being an investment of hard work, money, etc. I'm actually practicing from 8-10 foot work then 10-3 I play tennis tomorrow. I never really looked at it that way. Thanks.

[Amir]

Originally Posted by comeback

i would encourage you to continue tennis because it is a lifetime sport that you can continue to improve and play for 50 more years..it will help you meet more people and develop better social skills..Running is ok but there is less technique to strive for and many runners burn out or have permanent injury..You might not be able to run for as many years as you play tennis..becoming a lifetime tennis player is not easy but so worth it

That's EXACTLY what my coach said!

[Amir]

Originally Posted by schang70

Also, if you really love tennis and want to play college, what about playing for a D3 program with good academics? If I had to do it all over again, I probably would've gone to a D3 school with excellent academics and walked on to the tennis team.

I need to do some research. What route did you go down? D2? D1?

[TennisNinja]

Don't quit man! I started playing competitively really late too, I didn't play in the highest level of tournaments in my section until I was 15, and I did not do well at all.

I'm now at a D3 school and it's perfect for me. Some D3 teams are still really competitive and it's just not as stressful as being on a D1 team, plus I know I can focus on getting solid grades at a great academic institution.