JOOLA USA

    This nationals was probably the best tournament that I've ever played, even if I didn't get into a team or get a title. Sure I would be a little jealous if someone kept on boasting at me that they got into the junior or cadet team, but if they played terrible, meaning not trying hard, and still got in, I'd be mad, because there are other girls out there dying to getin the spot that was taken. Anyways, I had 6 events, but my main ones were the cadet trials, the junior qualification match, and U-1900.

    U-1900 was not such a disaster that I thought it would be. I played decent yet somehow, I did not manage to get to the semi-finals, forget about the finals. I played well during this event.

    The cadet trial was the highlight of my tournament. I came into the court, timid, shy, and scared. I thought that I didn't have even the slightest chance to make it into the team. My first match was against Isabella Chen, the girl who creamed me at U.S. Open. I took a deep breath, thought through it, and went into the court. Later on, I was down was 15-14 in the 5th game. I accidently let my hand jab at the ball when I pushed and instantly I knew it was terrible. She smashed it hard, very hard, and in. I knew it was over, but I certainly have done better than before against her.I would have made it into the team if only I had got one or two more points. Yet that was still a very good game. After that, I went to Isabella and gave her a hug to make sure that we were still friends because I had "friends" that left me when I beat them.  Next up, Tammy Gu, another that beat me up pretty bad at the last nationals or U.S. Open. O.K., I thought, just play hard and smart. When I played her, she would usually get the ball back, almost always. I tried very hard and beat her 3-0 but the game score was very close. I took a short break and had to play Elissa Lin next. I have never played her before, yet she was similar to me, smooth rubber on the forehand and short pips on the backhand. She was hard to play with, yet I still managed to beat her. Believe it was NOT easy. Only two more matches to go, then the teams are decided. Erica Wu. I played her several times; I both won and lost against her. The outcome was unpredictable. I played my hardest and won against her 3-0. I was very lucky due to all the nets and edges that I got. I wish that the last point of the match could be replayed, whether I lose or win, because it was too unfair beacause I got an edge. My last match was coming up after I took a seat on the gray plastic chair. Syvan Guo. She was extremely hard to play against, adding up the two minor falls that I received while playing on the slippery cement floor (not that I'm blaming it or anything, just....inconvenient). I lost to her 3-0 that disapointed me. I was hoping for at least one game . Overall, I played very well in the trials, yet I still did not get into the team, and I congratualte everybody that got into the cadet team.

    My junior qualification match was against Anne Deug, the girl that beat Lily, almost beat Ariel, and placed in the cadet team. I felt weak but still I fought. I fought hard and reached until the 5th game, but lost to her 18-16. That was stil a great match. I shook her hand, one of the last hands that I was going to shake in the tournament.

 

 

 

Yes, there are times when players have their moments of glory, but what about their moments of defeat? What happens to them when they simply have no motivation or when they feel bad after  match that they knew that could've done better, I have had many experiences when I had cried quietly. It is rather hard to write about failure, especially when you are younger.
   ThisBerkeley tournament was not the best for me, especially towards the end of the day. I was somehow under pressure and it made me nervous and I was already nervous to begin with. I played 5 events; one age event and four rating events. I started out playing alright but not too well. I had already lost all my matches of the event, but I tried pretty hard. But you can't linger on the past, so I looked forward and played on. The rest of the day was fine until I met this under-rated guy.
   His forehand was strong, he was tall, he was also a lefty. I felt little and helpless. I couldn't do anything except play to his backhand and he was waiting there. I played and tried until I gave up, and I knew I shouldn't have, but it's hard when you are down 2-0 losing by 3 or 4 points. Immediately I knew that I was going to be lectured, and I was right. Then I still had 2 more matches to go. Thankfully, I either won or lost a good match, so I wasn't worried after that, but the next day was basically a disaster from head to toe.
   Some people told me that I didn't play that bad, but I had a feeling that I did. Perhaps I was playing alright, until the last match. I had to play the lefty again. I must say, I did go nuts.I was scared already although I was told not to. I played and lost the match tired, and wanted to just quit,and say that I quit forever. But I knew I couldn't so I played on. I played terrible. I played like the first match with him; simply terrible. Thank goodness that Ariel and Lily were there. They helped me up again, and eventually, cheered me up. Then I had to think a little while watching the semifinals and finals. I even forgot to clap because I was thinking. I was thinking why I was playing that badly and why I gave up before entering the court. I was tired and troubled but wanted to relax so I forgot all about it and decided to enjoy the match while both the relaxation with my friends and the match lasted.

Baltimore was pretty fun. My team consisted of 4 players: Jasmine Nguyen, Ellen Hwang, Marielle Chua, and I. Our team did pretty well, all except on Friday. On that day, my team lost all team matches so we ended up in division 11. In division 11, we were the highest rated-group, and the only higher rated person in the whole division drppoed out when it was our turn to play him. Luckily, we played at our level the next 2 days. We met thsi really good group that we lost to 4-5. We ended taking 2nd  because the other group that was supposed to play the group we lost too was defaulted. Overall, my first time going to Baltimore is a lifetime experience. There was more than 250 teams that participated at Baltimore. Yet, it was rather chilly there; in the high 30 degrees. Brrrrr.

In the summer, I have mainly been concerned with training, and Joola managed to form a cam that turned out to be awesome for the first time. IT had many enrollments, and the training there was fantastic.
  In the camps, there were three great coaches, two of them were four times world champions, and it is simply fascinating to be in the same room as them.  They were addressed CoachZhang and Coach Li. The other coach is Stefan Feth, a well-known player from Germany. He has a great reputation for being a great coach, player, and most importantly, a sportsman. Being coached by all three of them is a dream come true for many people, I am included.
  The facility there at the Topspin Club was fantastic; wood flooring, air conditioning, barriers, and even two robopongs that work really well.
In the camp, the training there was intense yet worth it. There I learned so much that I felt much more confident with many of my strokes.And since my thumb was moving they stuck tape on it. As you can see, it can get pretty creative.  
I definitely became better because of the three camps I went to. There is also a variety of people and equipment, people that came from Phoenix, Arizona and people with pips of all length, people with chinese rubber, penholders, and shakehanders all came to go to the camps. How good is that? Sounds pretty good to me! I'm definitely going to the next Joola camp. Who knows? Maybe I'll see you there too! =)