So far this Labor Day weekend has meant much more to 17 year old Melanie Oudin, the youngest tennis player to make it to the U.S. Open quarterfinals since Serena Williams. My dad told me how she upset the fourth-seeded player in the tournament, and after hearing that I watched her next match and defeat of Maria Sharapova. When a reporter interviewed her after her victory she kept talking about how hard she tried and how long she had worked to get where she is. Determination is a huge factor in Oudin's success: she even has the word 'Believe' written on her shoes. Although this rising star is making an enormous impact in the tennis world, she needed to make multiple sacrifices along the way. After 7th grade she decided to be home-schooled in order to practice more, and she admits that sometimes she is jealous of the more normal lifestyle of her twin sister.
All of this made me think about the commitments athletes make. Do the ends justify the means? Playing a sport at the pro level at such a young age surely requires tremendous amounts of dedication and practice, and I am wondering if the time commitment for a teenager is worth it. It seems apparent that Oudin's entire life has revolved around tennis, which obviously took away any chance of living as an ordinary teen. I definitely feel that now she must feel like things are paying off, but what about the young athletes who devote their lives for their sport with no satisfying results? In some cases working to be the best might not necessarily bring the best results.
Anyways, I'm definitely rooting for Oudin in the quarterfinals!
It's amazing to think how much people go through to achieve such high honors. In the same category is 17-year-old Shawn Johnson, who won a gold medal in gymnastics at the 2008 olympics.
ReplyDeleteBut think about it; both of them have sacrificed a normal teen childhood, something that they will never get the chance to experience. From another point of view, how many teenagers have made it to the U.S. Open quarterfinals or won olympic gold medals?
Another scary thing about this- is this the last thing that we will ever see them do? What would it be like if society thought the best thing you ever did happened when you were 17 years old? Most people admit to having done the stupidest things in their life around that age, nottheir greatest achievements.
I think for athletes like Oudin and Shawn Johnson, the means certainly justifies the end because although they miss out on a normal childhood, they have this amazing experience. And they can say that they did something that so few people in the entire world can say.
ReplyDeleteHowever, with these high honors comes great risk. Risk of not making it or risk of injury. Although it might be totally worth it in the end, if something goes wrong then they can never get those years back.
For example those who get a scholarship for college for a sport, but get injuried. They lose everything.
Although its a huge risk that only a select few chance, it would be so worth it to make it to the top.