Archive for 2016
Out of the Darkest Night
Sometimes, in a world seemingly consumed by fear and suspicion of “the other,” darkness washes over me and I consider giving into despair. Sometimes the night seems so long, the sun feels like it will not rise. Sometimes when someone treats me unfairly in a match, the darkness I feel makes me want to walk […]
Next Time
I was playing against an opponent who would normally beat me eight times out of ten. Okay, nine times out of ten. I realized my strategy of rallying from the baseline with him in the past would result in a lovely workout, but no chance of a win. So, going into the matchup, I decided […]
In A World Of Hurt, This Is Our Commitment To You
I woke up last week with a start in the middle of the night and could not sleep again. What I have heard from campers and staff in the past week has shaken me. Please read this all. There is not a call to blame, but an ask for help. From each one of you. […]
The Making of Champions
I love to win. Let’s just put that out there. Who doesn’t? But what makes a champion? I witnessed history last week. The scoreboard says that the Edina high school girls tennis team, for the first time in twenty years – let that sink in, twenty years – will not be state AA champions. That’s […]
When The Competition Heats Up, Do We Have To?
We’re in the girls’ high school tourney season in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Which makes me pause. And wonder. When the competition heats up, do we have to, too, in order to win? I will answer this with a story from a coach, a mom, and me. The coach wrote me about two TLC campers in […]
It’s Our Turn
The first summer he came to TLC, he did not smile. Once. He left and I remember wondering how he would navigate this world. Russell was a camper on scholarship when TLC first became a non-profit in 2011. When he returned on scholarship the following summer, there was a powerful difference. His smile was wide, beautiful, […]
A Different Take on Choking
When our daughter was five years old, we left her with Elsabet, our 13 year old neighbor/babysitter. It was hard to get my wife, Leandra, out for dates. She didn’t want to leave her with just anyone. But one night we finally went out to dinner with friends. In the middle of the meal, we […]
Shhhhhh…
Shhhhhhh…. We are finishing our 40th Summer of Tennis & Life Camps. And we are going to release some news publicly in October of what we plan to do to ensure that the next 40 years are even better. Stay tuned. Shhhhhhh… The other day, we received a $1,000 donation to TLC scholarships from a […]
What’s Going To Make You Smile?
Smile! Isn’t that what every photographer says? But what if you don’t want to smile? What if you’re doing something with your life that no longer brings you joy? What’s going to make you smile again? And what if you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are at and you no longer have […]
The Right Piece of the Puzzle
Sometimes puzzle pieces don’t fit. I try to jam them in where they don’t belong. And they refuse to go. Or they break. Which means they refuse to go forever. Sometimes we need to step back and look a bit before we jam the piece where it doesn’t belong. Maybe learning the patience to find […]