Happy Place

I try to keep this space to general things that happen in the racquetball community, and not a personal journal. Where is happiness found on the court? I think it truly depends on the intentions of the player. That's where I come into this question. I want to get better just as most tournament/league players want to. To answer my own question about the where, is a tough one. On one hand I like to win, at what cost ? Does a persons happiness affect their play ? I have seen some players like John Barrett shoot his best relaxed, just as many pros are relaxed, able to leave a loss behind . Then you have players like Sanjay who seem to thrive on the adrenaline in the match. That is during the game. I knew when I started dedicating time to improving my game that it would be a tough road, especially not being a young kid, and entrenched in my bad playing habits. I had a loss at my club in the men's A finals. I felt like I let down myself, my partner, and even my teacher. I beat myself up for two days, rehashing my mistakes and how I embarrassed myself. I had friends call me to try to help me through it, but nothing healed the wounds. Is that what I signed up for . I love this sport,is this who I am going to become in the pursuit of becoming a "champion". When I started this my teacher said patience is needed to see results. I had to take a big step back to realize that time is my enemy for now. It is easy to say "I am patient" but not as easy to live it. Like someone with a disease, there are good days and bad days. I just want to lick this disease, and move onto winning some matches. The good news I do believe that the cure is just on the horizon. Until then I will enjoy the sport that has given me so much, a huge group of good friends, and a way to stay physically fit. See you at a tourney soon. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"