'GEMS' ON THE TENNIS COURT

BY CECILIA MACARTHUR

MY LIFE IS good, but not long ago I was always concerned about my particular path in life. A cloud of worry loomed over me, constantly reminding me that if I made one little mistake or one wrong decision, I could end up being unhappy for a very long time.

As I entered high school this year, I saw that a lot of people live under this kind of cloud. For some classmates, one bad grade on a math test might ultimately lead to a rejection letter from MIT. For others, not making the Junior Varsity baseball team freshman year could crush their major-league dreams. For me, it was the tennis team.

Since the summer between sixth and seventh grades, I'd wanted to try out for the high-school tennis team. At that time, it was like a landmark in the distance, yet a landmark I was sure I would reach. Now in ninth grade, as tryouts approached, confidence escaped me. An e-mail from the coach informed me that 38 girls were trying out, and only 20 would make it. Over the winter, I'd trained with three close friends, who were all trying out, too. As the days passed by, we began to feel that the tennis team would be impossible to make. I began preparing myself for the loss I was anticipating. I thought of all the other options I had if I was cut, and when people asked me if I was excited for tryouts, I responded, "Yes, but I'm not going to make the team." As the tryouts got closer, I became more nervous.

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