By Junious Smith III

Well, technically I fulfilled a goal.

Heading into the 2018-19 school year, I wrote a column and said one of my plans this year was to attend and participate in at least one practice of a specific sport. The concept was to show the general consensus some of these sports were harder than it looked, but outside of playing around at an Arendell Parrott volleyball practice, that was it. A combination of an overloaded schedule and lack of time prevented it from happening. I don’t have much of a social life on the weekdays — it’s work, work and more work, with rare breaks in action.

It just so happened there was a slight break in action.

A couple of our Neuse News interns, Ethan Cahoon and Parker Mitchell, wanted me to come watch their tennis match Wednesday at Bill Fay Park, trying to sell it with a “North Lenoir vs. South Lenoir” narrative. I can’t remember the last time the Blue Devils had a tennis team and Ethan seemed confident in his abilities to teach Parker a lesson, but I wasn’t planning on going. There was quite a bit to do story-wise, especially knowing there was an American Legion game later that night.

Then, procrastination hit and I decided to check it out.

The two were playing a one-set match to six and Parker was up 3-0. Considering he played on the Hawks’ tennis team this year, I wasn’t too surprised. Ethan put up a spirited fight, but eventually fell 6-0 and then asked a question I wasn’t expecting:

“Do you want to play him?”

I wasn’t dressed for the occasion in any capacity — a button up and jeans doesn’t exactly scream “tennis attire.” Then again, this was an opportunity to give the sport a shot, I hadn’t really done something of this magnitude (even though it was the plan) and my little brother actually played for a season on Jack Britt’s tennis team. Granted, I haven’t picked up a racket since January 2017 — I hit around with the No. 4 10-year old girls’ tennis player in the state at the time in Zanna Swindell while working on a story — but maybe there was hope. There was even more of a glimmer when I took a 40-15 lead in the first game.

It all came crashing down from there.

Parker got the next four points to go up 1-0, and from there it felt like there was a hole in my tennis racket. I refuse to blame attire or rust — I was just terrible at a sport I never really played in a serious manner. I had one other 40-15 advantage because of a few sympathetic double faults from Parker, but I lost that game and eventually the match 6-0. All I can say is Ethan did me a favor by not recording, because if that footage got out I would quit Neuse News and move out of Kinston in embarrassment.

Maybe that was a little too far, but it wasn’t a great look.

Either way, I gave it a shot before the American Legion game. It wasn’t exactly a great display, but there’s a little more confidence to try other sports. Actually, I might try to go somewhere and improve my skills with a racket — well, if I ever have the opportunity to develop a social life.

For now though, if you see me on the court keep the cameras off. I’m not putting together a tutorial of what not to do yet.