New Haven Independent

By Natasha Bavolar

Aug. 25

Today we had heard reports of rain, which isn’t something you want to hear about at 9 in the morning coming in to work when you have to work outdoors. Sure enough, just as we were sending the first team on court, it started to rain and then pour. We were all gathered in the tent and told to stay dry and just hang out until the rain cleared up.
Well, when you put 30 kids into a tent in the pouring rain for over three hours, something is bound to happen. My group of friends and I went to get lunch and we noticed in front of the Ben and Jerry’s tent there was a huge puddle of water that was at least six inches deep. We all took off our shoes in a hurry and jumped in to play pickle ball. Then we had a fashion show; we all tied our long-sleeved shirts in a different style and walked down our flooded runway.
After becoming completely drenched we all ran over to the Grand Stand court and played an intense game of handball. After realizing how cold we became, Grace, Alexa, Chelsea and I headed to the stadium bathrooms so we could blow-dry our clothes underneath the hand driers.
I was glad that we made the day fun because we were all so worried that we would be bored all day in the rain. Around 5, after the courts were dried, we were sent on to start doing the day matches, which went fairly quickly. Then the younger ones were sent home and the rest of us got dinner and prepared for the night match. Earlier in the day I had taken a nose dive into a huge puddle, and now as we were running to get dinner I slipped again on the only wet patch of the entire food court. After the matches my friend Steve and I walked to the drop-off point and talked about memories of the week, knowing that tomorrow would be our last day.

Aug. 26
For those of us who worked the late matches the night before, we did not have to be in the tent until 5 in the afternoon. My group and I decided we would come a little early dressed in something other than our uniforms for once and hang out together one last time.
We went into the sport zone and went on the moonbounce. After that I badly beat Alexa in the blow-up obstacle course. There was a band playing as well, so we went in front of the stage with our big circle of friends and danced around like crazy until Julie called us back to the tent.
The time had come to work our last match of the 2006 Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament. We were working the men’s final and to our surprise and dismay the match lasted only two set. We were done in an hour and a half. We all stood together on a line on the court for the ceremony of the men’s champion and then once again after the women’s doubles final.
As we ran off the stadium court for the last time we all gathered around to say our goodbyes. Goodbye to the kids we had become so accustomed to for the past week. The ones we woke up every morning to find waiting for us in the morning. The ones we told our life story to and had become so close to in just a week’s time.
The four of us, Grace, Alex, Chelsea, and I had become close this year. I found it very hard to say goodbye. Even though we all live relatively close to one another we knew we wouldn’t be seeing each other until we all settled in at school. Tears started to well up in our eyes as we stood there together in uniform for the last time and I took my leave. I walked the path to the drop off for the last time.
With each step I took I had a snapshot in my head of the moments we all had shared in this past week. As I got into my car I turned back and looked one more time at the place I had become so attached to. It really was just like the moment you leave a summer camp. So long Pilot Pen Tennis, I’ll be seeing you.

Aug. 24

Coming in to the tournament we all knew that we were going to have a pretty easy day. As the players have been knocked out, so have the ball kids, and tonight another cut was going to be made. There were only four courts; we each worked an hour and a half on then an hour and a half off.
I worked stadium again and got to work Kuznetsova versus Dementieva, Santangelo versus Henin-Hardenne, and then Malisse versus Hidalgo. It is sad that the tournament is coming to an end, but it is exciting at the same time, because we are anxious about finding out who will be on the final team. Working the finals is what we all strive to do from day one of the tournament and know it is finally only two days away.
It seems like it was just the other day that my friends and I were reunited at the volunteer party. The tournament always seems to go quickly, but this year the tournament went by too fast. Quite possibly because I was so caught up in the moments and having so much fun working and being with my friends, I did not realize or want to realize how quickly it would all be over.
We finished working on the stadium court around 6 and went back to the tent. I had the night off, so all I had to do was check the cut list. I took Trevor with me for back up, just in case. We both recognized our names on the list and breathed a sigh of relief. I then walked through the food court and to the drop off knowing that tomorrow could be my last day of the tournament and if not, then Saturday will be. Either way I’m not ready for this tournament to end.

August 23rd

This morning we knew there was going to be a cut made once the day stadium was completed. I was put on to the stadium team and we worked our first match of the day.
At our lunch break Jerrod was enjoying a strawberry smoothie from Ben and Jerry’s. Andy looked to me with an inquisitive look on his face and asked, “Are strawberries called strawberries because they’re grown in a straw?” We got quite the kick out of that one.
We went back on court and got the opportunity to work some great matches. The second match was Mauresmo versus Voskoboeva, then Schiavone versus Davenport, and Soderling versus Baghdatis. My team was relieved around 7 and some of us were sent to go have dinner because we would be working the second night match, Malisse versus Ramirez-Hidalgo. Chris and I rotated off after warm-ups and the score was 3-0 Malisse. He told me we were lucky we did not have to feed the tennis balls to Malisee while we were on.
“Why?”
“Just watch.”
Sure enough I looked to the court and noticed he had to have the ball kid to his left hold all six tennis balls and only that ball kid was allowed to feed him the tennis balls. So, naturally, when Chris and I went back on court he took the side left to Malisse.
Things were going well until I had three tennis balls and Chris had none at the time. I was about to pass the tennis balls to Chris when Malisse whistled at me because he was very agitated that he had to wait more than three seconds to receive his tennis balls. Luckily the match went very quickly unlike the day session matches. Tomorrow another cut will be made, and Friday night is the next ball kid sleepover, which is going to be held at my house.

August 22

Coming in this morning after the sleepover, we were all a tad exhausted. We fueled up at Dunkin’ Donuts by each getting hot chocolate and a bagel.
This morning I was awarded the responsibility of being my team’s captain. Being captain means you delegate who goes on court when, and you make sure nothing goes wrong.
Although I had wanted to be captain this year, once the opportunity presented itself I became nervous. If anything went wrong today it would most likely get back to me.
My team’s matches did not begin before 1, so we were given the morning off, so to speak. Most played cards while I slinked off to take a nap and work on my summer homework. We ate lunch and prepared for the three matches we were going to work on court this afternoon.
Things were going well until the third doubles match, when for some reason two of the ball kids on my squad did not rotate in at their designated time. Two court attendants, whose job is to give the players drinks and keep them in the shade on change-overs, then were forced to fill in for the two ball kids . After that stressful match my team was called off, and I went to dinner with my friends once again, because we were going to be working the James Blake match in the stadium that evening.
Even though this was my second night match in stadium this year I was a little nervous going in because I knew there was going to be a humungous, rowdy crowd. Once I got on court, though, I did not even think about it. We were all on point, but unfortuneatly Blake was not. We watched him squander five match points and lose two devastating tie breakers in the second and third sets.
Tonight we walked off court with the same look on our faces as Blake did.

Aug. 21, 2006

I arrived at the tournament today around 9. More quickly than usual, we were organized into teams and sent on court before 10. My teammates and I were working the Grand Stand court all day. We worked two men’s matches and two women’s matches.
As I went on the court to start the fifth and final match on the court that day, I was called off court and told to come to the tent. Tonight three other girls and I were having a sleepover, but we knew we were going to have to work a night match. Luckily when the sign-up sheet had come around, we all signed the four of us up for the earlier night match, Kuznetsova versus Craybas.
When I reached the tent the four of us had been assigned to work the early match. We had dinner and then went down to stadium. Working the stadium court during the day is already nerve-racking, but it is usually packed at night, when only the players who will draw the crowds get to play. Plus, your ball kid coordinators are on the sidelines watching you.
The team did a really good job. We all made sure things were running smoothly and effectively. The first set lasted an hour and a half, with Craybas coming out on top in a tiebreaker. My friends and I came off court knowing after the deuce that lasted almost 40 minutes that this match was going to be a quick one. Kuznetsovea ended up making a huge dominating comeback and won the last two sets 6-1, 6-2. My three friends and I grabbed our bags, sprinted to the trailer next to our tent, grabbed our sleepover bags, and left for the night we had been waiting for all day.

Aug. 20, 2006

Today was a very important day for the ball kids. It was kid’s day and the day that the first cut would be made. Everyone came into the tent this morning knowing that they had one last chance to make an impression on our ball kid coordinators if they wanted to stay this week.
Since I am a veteran, having worked at the tournament for more than a year, my chances of getting cut are significantly less than the new ball kids, but there is always a possibility that I may get cut. Seeing as I love working this tournament and was not ready to leave my friends by any means I was a little more nervous than usual. I came into work this morning and found that I and my closest friends were all going to work stadium today. Working stadium is added pressure because it is where the most important matches take place and can seat thousands of people. If you mess up, you know someone has seen it.
Although there is much more pressure to work in the stadium, I enjoy it more than working on the other courts. It seems that the crowd is almost distant in a way. It is just you, your fellow ball kids, and the players. The atmosphere is also more exhilarating than on the other courts.
We worked four matches on the stadium court and everyone on my team did well. While on one of our breaks we spoke briefly to James Blake’s brother, Thomas, but we did not talk to any players. As a ball kid we are not fans; we are professionals. It is considered unprofessional for us to act then as a fan asking for autographs or speak to the players. We are there to help the match run smoother, not to make friends with famous or infamous tennis players.
At about 6 this evening Julie gathered all of the ball kids into the tent and made her usual speech. She thanked us all for our hard work and dedication to the tournament over the weekend, and she hoped that if we were indeed cut, we would come back next summer. A mass of children were then seen sprinting towards our food tent to glance upon a sheet of paper with names. The names that were to be found on this list were the children who would return the next day. My friends and I saw our names and walked back to the tent. We are all still together and hopefully we will be up to the finals. The best scenario for this year’s Pilot Pen tennis tournament would be working the final match of the men or women, singles or doubles, with my closest friends from the tournament.

Aug. 19, 2006

Saturday morning we all gathered in the tent at 8 a.m., because today there would be around 40 matches. We were assembled into our court teams and sent out on court at 8:45 a.m. The eleven of us looked to each other to decide who would go on first. No one was eager to start, because everyone knew it was going to be a long day. I elected myself to be one of the starting six and began my second day of Pilot Pen Tennis.

Our first match started at 9, the next at 10:30, and the third and most exciting match began just before noon. The match was between Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Ryan Sweeting. I personally was pulling for Sweeting, but he lost the first set. I started to get the feeling that this was going to be a three-set match. As we went into the second set I noticed Sweeting was not going to give in. Every game ended in a deuce that lasted five to 20 minutes. Neither player could seem to break the other, which resulted in a tiebreaker to decide who would take the second set. As you can imagine this wasn’t going to be quick, either.

After 45 minutes of some brilliant tennis, Sweeting came out on top, which drew a crowd over to our court. The third set luckily was taken quickly by Sweeting, six games to one. Although that was the end of the day for the players, we still had another match to work. After another two hours, we got off court at around 4:30pm. The day was exhausting, but worth it.

Aug. 18, 2006

Toady was my first day returning to the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament. When I woke up it felt like any other normal summer morning, but this was a morning I had been anticipating since my first ballkid tryout. The first day of the tournament is filled with emotion. You feel nervous, but excited, anxious, but afraid.

Last summer the Pilot Pen felt like a summer camp experience, which is why I decided to return this year. As I was approaching the ballkid tent, I heard a familiar voice screaming, “Tosh!” My group of friends I made last summer came rushing toward me. We had our usual morning meeting where we were told what court we would be working on and which kids we would be with. My team and I assembled and walked the path to our first official match of the 2006 Pilot Pen.

To open the match the starting six ballkids, including me, ran onto the court. Butterflies filled my stomach as the six of us looked to one another as if to say we should not be worried. As the players began to warm up to the idea of being back here at the Pilot Pen, so did we.

That night was our volunteer kids’ party. I remember the party from last year when I was new and only knew one other ballkid. This year my group of friends walked in, got our raffle tickets, and proceeded to our table. The volunteer party always feels like the first night of summer camp where old bonds are re-established and new friendships are formed and everyone can not wait to come back the next day.