Peter's Net Files

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tennis playlist I

Weight - The Stand4rd (The Stand4rd)

http://youtu.be/gNslwelRn5A

Who thought kids just out of high school could manage something heavy like “Weight”? Right out the gate we’ve got this groaning sample--murky--like bubbling sludge swamps. This is hip-hop alright. Ever since Kanye dropped 808s--after the well-publicized break-up--a wave of emotional hip-hop flooded the net, resulting in sad songs. Sad on the surface. Underneath the grudge and grime you’ve got a simple call & response scenario. Spooky Black confesses of his sins with women, while his homie provides the alternative--get lost. They even act out the harrowed female dog. It’s a convincing case. All this adds up to hip-hop for me. Well-done too, as it wasn’t immediately recognizable, interpreting the genre in an innovative way, which is really what art and culture comes down to.

[netfiles-blog]

Pro Wisdom

Not everyone’s up on the lingo, or part of The Community. If you come across a client who wants to hit, don’t expect them to understand a baseline game, know its purpose or want to try it. Sometimes they just prefer to groove down the middle, work up a sweat and crack wise.

[netfiles-blog]

History of Tennis I

Tennis began as amusement, a pastime of the upper classes. Participants sipped brandy, wore white, it was a regular event. Then came Suzanne Lenglen, to change the game entirely. She was of the peasant class, with an ambitious father. He got her into the sport and entry into all these important matches and tournaments including the Grand Slams, many of which she won. She now has a Grand Slam court named after her in Paris. She changed everything. It was also around this time TV rose to prominence in the U.S., so there was a demand for content. Some Yank flew Lenglen to the States, matched her against a negro player and billed it like a popular boxing match. It wasn’t long after the Open era began, when players began to make more money because of TV, syndication and advertising.

[netfiles-blog]

Introduction

I’m going to keep my introduction brief. That way I can get to the meat of this new blog, which is about tennis--pro tennis, amateur tennis, the history of tennis, Canadian tennis.   Let’s start with the obvious: What makes me qualified to blog? I was there. #1 in Ontario, top 10 in Canada. I competed in all the big international tournaments, from Orange Bowl at Key Biscayne to Casablanca Cup in Mexico City. I dropped out of school, travelled extensively. My family invested. After reaching #208 in the world junior ranks, I accepted a scholarship to University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I helped the Badgers become a top 20 Division I team. So you know how to play, what about write? I learned from my professors at King’s College, as well as the journalists at CBC. I blogged a lot before, and have published in alternative papers, magazines and on websites. Coaching: does it make you an authority? If you’ve been trained right and played yourself. Right now I’m living downtown and working as a pro at York Racquets, having spent last winter in Dubai at Roger Federer’s club. Let the blogging begin!