Monday AM, roughly 630am that is……..I spring out of bed…..spring…….nobody at 48 years young springs out of anything for the most part…….but today, I spring.  No pain, no lactic acid, nothing.  I’m a bit tired, but I am amazed, I feel really good.   Last weekend, VTC tourney, last Monday AM, every muscle in my body was on fire……..this Monday, I’m feeling quite good……so there is hope, a bit of smart training, eating well, rest…….I actually can still do this, tournament play, 5 matches in two days……….a lot to ask for at any level.

My son and I played doubles together.   A good thing.   No, a great thing.   It’s hard to describe, but when father and son can compete hard together for the same thing, there is nothing I can think of that is better than this.  For me, I need to fine tune him mentally, coach him for lack of a better term to make him better, but teach him to make me (his partner) better yet.  He is so much better than I am at this game, yet I’m no slouch……..his skill level, physicality, and even a good part  of his mental game, well beyond where I’m at and where I ever could hope to be at. 

Alex is in Mens Open, I toil in Mens 4.5 , grind my way to the finals…..but lose to a savvy player from Eugene in a close match.  I compete well, but lack match toughness in the end……the irony in this, Alex draw a tough first round oppenent…….and drops into the backdraw and as irony would have it, my finals guy, plays one level up too, and plays Alex in the consolation finals……..Alex handles him so easily, I’m in awe…….the kid scripts what I should have done against him, and what he will do……and he does, and the student becomes the teacher.  Does the student know this, not really……..because it’s words burned into my brain…….but to him, it’s just words at the moment in time, with a memory to having made the comments……..Next up is doubles at VTC, Alex and I again together. 

We’ll see how long he tolerates me :), but in this draw is a player I lost to in singles and that doesn’t sit well with me………so I’m going to be really focused………