The Late-Summer Swing
August just ended which means the US Open in New York! There are so many wonderful things to do in New York, and so many seasonal traditions, but this might be my all-time favorite. I’m not saying it’s the reason I moved back to New York, but it definitely helped get me out here.
Funnily enough, for the first six years I lived in New York, I didn’t go to the Open. It was at the start of the school year when I was in college and often I was just getting back to the city–there was so much to do and so much to catch up with. I went during what ended up being my last summer living here, in 2002, and really loved that you could simply ride the 7 train to Flushing and end up at one of the premier tennis tournaments in the world.
I didn’t go again until Labor Day weekend 2019, when I helped a friend celebrate a milestone birthday there in a bucket list dream. I could now appreciate the amazing fan base, the terrific merch and the fact that any sporting event with a signature cocktail was something I could get behind. We vowed to make it an annual tradition (which, given the year we went, you can guess how long that lasted!).
After the aberration of a few rough Covid years, this year, I’m back! I took my kids to the Kids Day (which was amazing and fun and free!) and have plans to spend Labor Day there with my friend in a resumption of our tradition that was so rudely interrupted by a global pandemic. As I reflect on why I like tennis and am drawn to it, there are a lot of reasons (I like being outside to watch, the Willams sisters are super inspiring, I used to have a huge crush on Pete Sampras when I was a teenager…) but I realized there’s something deeper to it it, too.
While I often like watching team sports, as it makes me think about all the analogies between that and leading a non-profit team,
there’s something about the solitary nature of the singles tennis player that feels reminiscent of the solitary nature of being a leader.
The singles player is out there on the court trying to triumph over their opponent, and it feels like that in the leader’s chair too. Often the opposition is not a person, but rather the social problem you are trying to untangle, the justice you are hoping to make progress on, or the inner challenges that plague you that are you are trying to conquer. You’re swinging at what comes your way with the hopes you choose the right type of swing, time it correctly, read your opponent well, and not only hit it and avoid losing points, but score points with the right shot as well.
What are you swinging at as we start the school year?! Tell me in the comments!
So, while there’s a lot to love about team sports (and my love of the NCAA March Madness tournaments is not going away!), this time of year you can find me watching tennis: reflecting on how at the end of the day, each of us is on the court alone–no matter how many fans we have in the stands or how many coaches we have helping us achieve. We go out there, try our best, fight through the long points and keep hustling.