Hard Work

“You said that I was naïve and I thought that I was strong”

Newsflash: tennis is hard on the body. Is it true you can’t play all out at the age of 28 the way you did when you were 18?  I’m not talking about rallying a few balls around as part of the senior circuit. I’m mean tennis at breakneck pace. Endurance and tolerance may decline with age, but skills and strategic tactics don’t. I beg to differ with the naysayers who scoff at the abilities of 30-50 year old tennis players. I’ve seen some pretty swift serve and volley players on the adult USTA teams. Those middle-aged wise guys are sometimes just as fleet of foot as their twenty something counterparts.

If tennis is more of a mindset than a game of speed and physical strength, shouldn’t we all be able to play adeptly well into our 50’s? Perhaps I am being naïve. But walk into any country club and witness the clientele of the average tennis member. Most of them aren’t spring chickens anymore, but they can still knock a mean forehand down the line and chase down overhead lobs. It’s funny how we acknowledge the skill sets of advanced and experienced players, or coworkers for that matter. Yet, we hesitate to entrust those same people as doubles players or colleagues in sharing work duties. I like to see the older generation rise to the occasion. I’d like to think I’ll be one of those 50 something folk one day, sharply snapping my racquet at the net and sending crosscourt shots to the deepest corners of the baseline.  If you watch older players maneuver around the court, you will notice something strikingly similar about the way beginners play. They take their time with each shot. They focus so hard on getting their feet planted, their racquet back and their follow through just right.  Just like a beginner.

The more experienced players seem to know what is expected. They don’t shoot for the moon, but they perfect their imperfections. They know their limits. It’s just like that in any workplace too. Older workers are inflicted and dazzled with new communication, gadgets and technology. As a management student, I tend to do a lot of thinking about how personnel impact the workplace. Managing the baby boomer generation is an intriguing topic of discussion. It’s worth noting because the workplace is changing, and everyone has to adapt. Some generations are going to adjust better to technological and economical changes. Similarly, the evolution of the tennis racquet has changed the game drastically at every skill level. Yesterday’s players didn’t possess the power of today’s heavy hitters. It must be difficult for that generation to come close to being on a level playing field with today’s players. Or perhaps, it depends on the player.

I don’t think it’s accurate to state my generation is better than the one of my parents’.  I have every reason to believe yesterday’s players were just as good, if not more skilled, than the tennis stars of today. Perhaps you could even say the same thing for my generation of workers. We’ve been criticized as lazy, and rightly so. We have it easy today but that should not be an excuse to not work hard.

“You say I only hear what I want to”