I have played tennis since I was a little girl. I've never loved a sport more. Tennis was introduced to me by my sisters Jessica and Lauren, my dad, and my uncles. I played tennis every other day at my private lessons and my group lessons at Woburn Racquet Club. I was one of the best in my class and never missed a practice. Tennis never felt forced on me as something I had to do. I love the people I play with and it is a bonding experience with my friends and family.

In seventh grade, I had a tragic accident that affected my tennis career. I was at Yentile Park with my friends and we were on the glistening green field. It was a hot day after school and we wanted to play soccer but the net was flipped down on its frame. So me and my friends decided to lift it up. When I put my hands on the slippery white frame with grass stuck to it because of the dew and the chipping paint with rust underneath my friends flung the net upwards. I am a shorter person and the net is six feet tall. When they flung it up like a slingshot I was caught on the frame and fell head-first into the solid turf. I lay there terrified of what might happen next. My friends rushed over to me and my best friend Leah held me. As I balled my eyes out like a waterfall in the mountains, my friends called my mom. She rushed over to the park quickly and my friends helped me into the car. I was rushed home, my dad and sisters were waiting for me in fear. My parents decided to take me to the hospital. When I got there I was told I had a concussion and a broken collarbone. This meant I wouldn't be able to play tennis for six months. 

During these six months, I lost a lot of my stamina. I also lost a whole summer of fun activities to do with my friends and family. But when they were done and I finally got to play tennis I was super excited. I couldn't wait to get back on the court. But when I was finally able to, I was weaker. I didn't hit the balls as exhilarated as I used to and I didn't do as well against other players. Even when my collarbone was “healed” it still hurt to play and when I would hit some fastballs my shoulder would still hurt. This event set me back a lot farther than I would have anticipated because when I was healing everyone was practicing and got a lot better with their lessons. And I was now not the best in my class and I was always out of breath after we did sprints, or when we ran laps around the courts. But as time went on I worked harder and harder for the new season to start during the off-season. I started to regain my strength and build up my stamina again. As months went on I got back up to the level I was before. But because of all of my practicing and conditioning after a few weeks, I was even better than I was before. And now I am a freshman varsity tennis player for Wilmington High School and I play both singles and doubles. 

In the end, throughout all that I went through and the obstacles that caused me to struggle along the way, I came out of that unfortunate accident a better player than I was before. I am a different player today due to this accident because I did not let it stop me and I kept pushing which showed me that I can get through tough times. Additionally, my family and friends helped me through this rough period in my life. My dad and I played when I needed to so that I could get better and win more games again after overcoming my collarbone injury. I went through a challenging time, and the people I’m closest to, especially my dad, pulled through and helped me overcome a difficult journey. In the end, I came out on top and turned into an even better player than I was before.