posted on: May 18, 2018
author: Brian Lomax, Ed.D.
Whenever I travel, I like to pack my tennis racquets. In the last 20 years, I have been fortunate enough to visit many places in the United States as well as other countries. Of course, some of these trips have been for tennis competitions such as national tournaments and team events, so having my racquets was necessary. But even for the trips that were more of a vacation, I found playing tennis in a new place to be a rewarding experience.
I am sure that many of you have traveled for your sport at sometime in your career. Perhaps it was a baseball tournament on Long Island or a USTA League National Championship in Indian Wells, CA. I bet you remember that trip. Wasn’t it special? Perhaps you should do something like that again so that 2018 can be truly memorable.
So I think you should plan a trip to play your sport this year. The question is, where do you want to go? Even if your team doesn’t have a trip planned, you could plan one for yourself or a group of friends. This is easier to do for those of us who participate in individual sports like tennis, golf, running, triathlons, etc. However, you could talk to the coach or captain of your team about playing an event in an interesting location. You can always find someone or some team to play.
When you travel and play your sport, it’s a great way to meet the locals and make new friends. You won’t feel like a tourist anymore. Instead, you’ll be immersing yourself in the local community, and that’s what I find rewarding. Perhaps some of the people you meet will reciprocate and visit you in the future.
Earlier this year, I played tennis in Mexico on my birthday. That was really cool and it was a great way to celebrate my 50th. This June, I’m looking forward to possibly playing on the red clay at la Caja Mágica in Madrid. Who’s in?
Dr. Brian Lomax founded PerformanceXtra™ in 2009 with a mission of helping athletes achieve their goals and their top performances more consistently through a progression of mental skills that enables them to focus on what is truly important.
Learn more about the author: https://performancextra.com/brian-lomax/
Brian,
Your efforts with my tennis and athletic journey the last several years have been great on this front and this one in particular resonates with me athletically, professionally, and personally. Too often many of us get comfortable with our local leagues and routine etc. Thanks for challenging many of us – myself included on this journey to expand beyond shores of America and even throughout US.