Streimikes Comes Alive

Four days under the Mozama sun playing tennis will do wonders for the soul. Sadly, O wasn't able to play this year. She trained hard, joining teams, taking private lessons and bumping her game into the 2.5 ranks. She was ready to destroy this tourney, but injured her knee just a week before we were scheduled to drive to Eastern Washington. Half the fun comes from getting out of town, enjoying some blissful weather and spending a bunch of time with a gracious, funny group of people. So Olaiya gracefully accepted that she'd have to wait another year to join the invitational, but came with me to cheer us on, take photos and work on her tan.

I was paired up with Andy, who didn't have much experience but a wealth of natural talent. Our first match was pathetic though. I let us down by playing tight. Never feeling comfortable, I couldn't let loose with my shots. It seemed like I couldn't hit a single volley all day. We limped into the consolation bracket after falling 6-3.

I took a fresh attitude into day two. Having a beer earlier in the day might have helped. Andy and I played much better in this match, eventually prevailing 7-5.

The Good Guys

The Bad Guys

Our Host and Line Judge Kelly Fulcher

The running forehand was working!

The lunging backhand was working!

The standing backhand was working!

The overhead volley was working!

The post-game congratulatory handshake was working too!

The victory over Matt and Cathy put us into the consolation bracket finals: The Chump Cup. This match was just as vigorous as the previous, but Andy and I outlasted Lee and Donna 7-6 (7-3) in a tiebreaker.

I returned to Seattle a happy man. And Olaiya is even more determined to hone her game so she can win the whole shebang next year. In the meantime I expect she'll be giving me all the practice I can handle.