Life Lessons From Playing Racquetball

by Mike Davis, Ph.D.
Head of School

One characteristics of being a good teacher and a good student is being willing to humbled.  The word “humble” which, in its earliest origins is traced to the Latin word, “humus,” means “insignificant or on the ground.” You’ll see how fitting that is when I tell you about how I humbled myself a few days ago.

 

There are so many wonderful programs at Colorado Academy, and here is one that you may not be as aware of: racquetball. Coached by Marcia Richards and George Boynton. This is one of the great, unsung stories of CA’s athletic program.  It’s a co-ed, after-school program with 15 Middle School and 13 Upper School participants. Students practice at the nearby Englewood Recreation Center. Last week, I was invited to join the team for practice. I had a blast and got a great workout.

 

These student-athletes go about their daily practice with little fanfare. Their competitions don’t turn out huge crowds, but that doesn’t dampen their enthusiasm for this sport and for their desire to improve and have fun. At CA, our competitive sports tend to get the lion’s share of attention. Local media outlets follow them and the big athletic events, like many of artistic events, are rallying points for our school culture.  But also important at CA are several non-traditional paths for student-athletes to follow.  This is one of them.  

 

I have not played racquetball since I was in middle school, but I figured it must be like riding a bike; I was anticipating that it would all just come back to me; how hard could it be? How wrong could I was! When I showed up, the students lined up to play me.

 

There was a lot of laughter, and coaches Richards and Boynton gave me all kinds of great advice about technique and strategy.  It was apparent on the first serve that I was in for it. I can hit hard, and I can run, but this is a game of finesse and strategy.  

 

One racquetball aficionado says, “What separates racquetball from the rest is the fact that you have to do worse before you can do better. There are no ‘naturals’ in this sport. Even if you are agile, quick on your feet, and know how to handle a racquet, none of that matters,” says Sean Davis, who writes a blog called “Expert Enough.”

 

He says that racquetball is a sport that teaches you about life.

1)    Know your place on the court (The center always gives you the strongest position.)

2)    Play to your opponent’s weakness. (Ceiling balls, your opponent’s backhand, etc.)

3)    Hit away from your opponent. (Keep your opponent on the run.)

4)    Keep your opponent on the back wall. (This makes it hard to return shots.)

5)    Less speed, lower height. (Don’t give your opponent an easy return; the lower your shot, the more likely it will bounce twice).

 

So, here is how the competition against CA students went:

Seth Jacks quickly skunked me. Then, so did Bridget Sutter.  I got a point against Nguyen Pham. And then, one of the strongest players on the team, Christian Luskey, scored seven points against me before Coach Richards stopped the game. (Christian had billed himself as "The People's Champion," and I was "The Ultimate Hero." Ok,  I had earned my humble position.

 

So, to the list of life lessons of racquetball, I would add one more. As the saying goes, “be humble, or be humbled.”  Thanks to our students for a great afternoon, and “Go Mustangs!”