- April 18, 2024
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I knew there was more to merely hitting the ball off a wall and then dodging its speedy return. Racquetball will soon become a part of my wheelhouse.
I played six games with friends Steve Lawson and Jason Harrison on Thursday, June 8, in St. Augustine. I expected to lose the first five games, because I had no Idea what I was doing. They, on the other hand, brought out their favorite-colored balls and personal racquets. Ooooh, scary, right?
Playing in a one-for-all format, Steve and Jason often played at me to score easy points, although they may not admit it. But that’s OK.
As they battled each other — with me taking up space — I missed a lot of returns, didn’t serve with much power, and I just couldn’t play well. There are very few athletic sports I can’t play, so I was secretly disappointed with myself.
After scoring no more than four points in the first four games, I ripped off eight straight in the fifth game. That’s when I began to compare my future dominance to the 1989-90 Michael Jordan, and I designated Steve as Larry Bird and Jason as Magic Johnson. In other words, their winning days were about to be over, and I was standing on the brink of greatness.
Of course, they laughed it off — and kept winning and talking trash — but that was only my first day. I’ve learned the basics, and I’ll soon master my serve and find a decent return game. Sorry (not really) for them, I’ll soon begin to reign, and it will remain that way.
Notwithstanding our competitive natures, Jason, Steve and I have become good friends. You couldn’t tell by our constant trash talking at our gatherings, but we’re pretty cool. I think talking smack back and forth makes anything more interesting, and it does for us. It shows comradery.
Once Steve won the final match and tied 3-3 with Jason, Jason decided he would rather leave tied than go down further, much to Steve’s disappointment. It was funny to me, because I could tell they both weren’t aware they had possibly won their final games — with me on the court.
