Author: nhagberg

When Bianca Andreescu pulled off her amazing U.S. Open finals victory over Serena Williams, and was undaunted by William’s comeback in the second set, she explained it by saying she was not ruffled because she had visualized winning the U.S. Open her whole life (nineteen is a whole life???) and continued to focus on that. …

A girl showed up at station drills (our optional time for campers to work on their stroke of choice) who had an absolute bomb of a serve.  One of the most beautiful, fluid motions I’ve ever seen.  The racket drop on edge down the back and acceleration looked like a gift from above.  Seamless and…

Last night, our second junior camp of the week, we were closing the opening program in the dorm.  I looked out at the campers and gave the announcements of the expectations of being a camper at TLC.  I had finished, or thought I had finished, when I said aloud to myself, “What am I forgetting?”  (You…

It happened yesterday when one of our supervisors, unbeknownst to the entire staff, saw rain coming; and came out to the courts early to make sure the ball carts stored in our outdoor tower (which was currently leaking because of a caulking seal failure) were covered by tarps.  Nobody else thought to do it, including…

I made a mistake. It cost (I totaled it) 490 people minutes.  That’s a full eight-hour day for one person. I discovered it yesterday.  Actually, I didn’t discover it.  My supervisory staff did. I did not check the schedule carefully enough, and so incoming campers were going to get schedules with all incorrect times. Our…

I woke up yesterday with deep anxiety.  It is not an unusual occurrence.  Some days it happens and some days it does not.  It may have a trigger that trips it, or an upcoming event.  Or it may be completely random.  As in, “Where in the world did that come from?” I now know where…

The first night of the summer at TLC is full of a lot of things, as the worlds of 40 TLC staff members and 100 campers meet.  Hope.  Fun. Laughter. Anxiety. Joy. Learning.  And, in my case, forgetfulness. After 38 years of this, you’d think I’d remember the exact order of things.  You would be…

A friend of mine, who has been a TLC family camper for years, woke up recently with double vision.  This is not normal. The longest three days later, the results of his MRI came back.  Serious maladies were ruled out, but he would need to go to a neurological ophthalmologist to work through it. As…

We say we cannot change. I sometimes wonder whether or not this is true. In our actions.  In our minds.  In our tennis games. Are we not set in our ways by such and such an age that it is too late? Are we not doomed to repeat the same mistakes in our lives and…

“She has a crisis of confidence.” That is what her dad said to me when I told him his daughter had natural talent and could make some breakthroughs that weekend. “Sara” was one of our retreat campers this winter, where we talk about how we can use the Three Crowns • Positive Attitude • Full…