Tennis

       I woke up to my brother calling, “Leo, wake up!”

       “Why?” I asked him, sleepily. “Yesterday was my last day of first grade! School is over already so I’m not getting up. Hmph!”

       “We’re doing a family activity today, Leo!”

       “What activity would you like?” my mom asked.

       Although I liked talking to my parents, I didn’t like it when they repeatedly asked me questions. What was my favorite thing to do that we could do as a family? I thought hard.

       ​“I know!” I said. “We could play tennis! I heard that there is a type of tennis that takes four people to play.”

       “Doubles?” my brother asked.

       “Yes! That’s it!” I exclaimed.

       “I love it!” my brother said.

       “All right, I guess we’re playing doubles today then,” my dad said to my mom.

       Tennis is my favorite sport, because it’s action-packed. I also love tennis because just like most other things, you need to practice a lot to get good at it.

       Doubles is all about cooperation. There are two teams of two, and each pair has to work together and figure out who should return each incoming ball.

       I teamed up with my brother, since I was only six, and he was only nine. We played against our parents, in a casual manner. My brother would encourage me and pump me up after we won the point. “Great job!” my brother said to me as we high fived. My parents would support us as well.

       Another reason I love tennis is that it requires a lot of thinking. One time, we had a really long rally. This is where our strategy came in. Since my brother was taller, he went up to the net and hit the balls out of the air. If he couldn’t reach it, I would run over and hit it. This is how I learned how important teamwork is. Soon after, my brother hit a short ball and neither of my parents could get it. They laughed it off, and we went to the bench to rest. “Good job!” they complimented.

       This was my first memory of our family games of doubles. There were many more amazing moments, from that day until now. Over time, my brother and I got stronger and more skilled. When I turned eight, my brother was eleven, and we were beating our mom and dad easily. We had to change up the teams. I teamed up with my dad, and my brother teamed up with my mom.

       My brother used to get most of the balls when I was teamed up with him, but now that he wasn’t on my team, I had to cover most of the court. It taught me about responsibility because even though I had to cover most of the court, I knew I shouldn’t hit a ball that wasn’t on my side.

       Doubles is perfect for a family of four, and I encourage everyone to try it because it can help you bond with your parents and siblings. It’s fun, action-packed, and helps you practice teamwork. It doesn’t matter who wins or who loses, because, in the end, it’s still a very fun experience for all four of us.
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Leo Yang is a rising sixth grader at Kamiakin Middle School in the Lake Washington School District. This is his first piece in the Emerald Youth Review.