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An unforgettable book
What was the most inspirational or important book you've ever read?
Please, tell us the title of the book and the reason why you loved reading it.
Can we break barriers through sport? Take a look at this composition before you answer.
Sports Traditions: Crossing the Gap (stageoflife.com)
I never thought sports were special. As a nerd, whose stereotypical enemy is the jock, I had a natural disinclination for sports. Still, I had to admit sports were fun; even nerds are amused by the simplicity of accelerating a ball with a racket. I started playing tennis early. At first I thought of tennis as just a way to stay fit and play with my friends. My father, an avid tennis player himself, loved to encourage me. He played with me nearly every weekend, and took me to the U.S. Open to watch the greats like Federer and Nadal play. He often tried to teach me the more advanced techniques of tennis, from kick serves to drop shots. We loved these bonding opportunities.
There was just one problem in this perfect father-son sports tradition: my dad had limited English, and I had limited Korean. Outside of the game, we didn't communicate much with the exceptions of chores and dinner conversations. We often misunderstood each other. My dad once congratulated me on being a National Merit Semifinalist in Korean. I responded that I had in fact put gel in my hair this morning. Other times, my father and I were frustrated by the fact that we couldn't convey with complete accuracy our thoughts. He had trouble explaining tips on average activities like shaving or driving, and I could not fully describe the exciting details of my school research. There was a gap between us that we could not easily cross.
But that’s where tennis comes in. The joy of playing three intense sets of tennis woke us up early every morning to play, despite wind, rain, and, once, snow. It allowed us to communicate through actions and not words. When I failed to make the tennis team my freshman year of high school, my dad just told me to pack my tennis bag. Through consistent practice with him, I made the JV team, and became JV captain the following year. When my youth and speed became too much for my dad to handle during our matches, he began to go to the gym every night to work out. Motivated to play me on equal footing, he became healthier and stronger. These are things we found very difficult to tell each other with words. Tennis gave us the means to express our thoughts, and it's positively influenced both of our lives.
Despite my earlier cynicism, tennis does in fact have a place in society. The simple actions of exerting a force on a pressurized ball of air to initiate a projectile motion (told you I'm a nerd) can indeed transcend communication barriers. Tennis allowed my dad and me to bond in a way that would have never been possible due to our language difficulties. As much as the nerd in me hates to admit it, there is some magic in a father and son playing tennis that cannot be explained in scientific terms. It's simply the love of the sport.
There was just one problem in this perfect father-son sports tradition: my dad had limited English, and I had limited Korean. Outside of the game, we didn't communicate much with the exceptions of chores and dinner conversations. We often misunderstood each other. My dad once congratulated me on being a National Merit Semifinalist in Korean. I responded that I had in fact put gel in my hair this morning. Other times, my father and I were frustrated by the fact that we couldn't convey with complete accuracy our thoughts. He had trouble explaining tips on average activities like shaving or driving, and I could not fully describe the exciting details of my school research. There was a gap between us that we could not easily cross.
But that’s where tennis comes in. The joy of playing three intense sets of tennis woke us up early every morning to play, despite wind, rain, and, once, snow. It allowed us to communicate through actions and not words. When I failed to make the tennis team my freshman year of high school, my dad just told me to pack my tennis bag. Through consistent practice with him, I made the JV team, and became JV captain the following year. When my youth and speed became too much for my dad to handle during our matches, he began to go to the gym every night to work out. Motivated to play me on equal footing, he became healthier and stronger. These are things we found very difficult to tell each other with words. Tennis gave us the means to express our thoughts, and it's positively influenced both of our lives.
Despite my earlier cynicism, tennis does in fact have a place in society. The simple actions of exerting a force on a pressurized ball of air to initiate a projectile motion (told you I'm a nerd) can indeed transcend communication barriers. Tennis allowed my dad and me to bond in a way that would have never been possible due to our language difficulties. As much as the nerd in me hates to admit it, there is some magic in a father and son playing tennis that cannot be explained in scientific terms. It's simply the love of the sport.
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