You have to study. You have to be smart. We arent wasting our time on sports. It isnt meant for us. This was my parents mantra. Weeknights were reserved for reviewing algebra problems or reading a novel. Participating in sports, my parents decided, wasnt an ideal fit for my life.Their reluctance to embrace sports stemmed from their upbringing in India. Physical fitness just wasnt a part of the culture in which they grew up. For them, the Eastern idea of exercise dwelled in the spiritual -- yoga and meditation were preferred to activities like running, basketball or tennis. When they settled in America, this mindset followed. Although they watched football and other sports, my father believed education offered the best opportunity for success. The idea of pursuing a sport with the same dedication as education seemed frivolous.So I devoted my energy to spectating. I stood on the sidelines, watching my peers dunk a basketball or round the bases during softball. My achievements came in the form of an A on the geometry test or crafting a debate response to a controversial issue. I accepted that my strengths resided in the cerebral; Id hide near the bleachers during P.E., even though I longed to know what it felt like to move with grace, running on the gym floor or landing a volley on the tennis court.During school I heard about a team hoisting a trophy or a coach congratulating players on a good game. What would it mean to hit a home run or high-five my teammates after a win? Sports morphed into a foreign language I sought to not only understand but experience. But instead of pushing my parents to sign me up for volleyball or softball, I acquiesced to their wishes and continued to focus on intellectual pursuits.Now, as a parent to a 10-year-old daughter, I carry on the encouragement for her to solve math problems and read books. I also emphasize practicing tennis. Every week, she devotes several evenings to her serves, backhands and forehands. On the weekends, she competes in tournaments. In a short amount of time, Ive witnessed her grow in ways I didnt get to experience in my youth.When she lost matches in her early tournaments, she would hunch her shoulders and shed a tear, unable to control her emotions on the court. She asked to quit, but my husband and I encouraged her to sit with her angst. Navigating this terrain wasnt always easy since it introduced a level of unease, irritation and, well, loss. It also introduced resolve.Together, we would endure losing streaks, painful practices and tears. Then, in the middle of raw irritation, shed hit a brilliant backhand or ace a serve. The flashes of her hard work started to sprinkle the court in unexpected moments. As her tennis game gained momentum, she would talk about how much she enjoyed the rallies on the court.When she swings her racket, her shoulders relax and a smile appears on her face. During a match, she pumps her fist and acknowledges how much winning a point means to her. A few weeks ago, she said, I love tennis. It helps me relax.Maintaining a balance between?sports and academics isnt easy. We encourage her?to employ time-management skills, limit her?screen usage and anticipate the unexpected and imperfect when splitting time?between schoolwork and tennis. Some days may be academic heavy, while other afternoons and evenings might sway more toward athletics.?Weve seen the balance pay off. Earlier this month, down 3-1 in a set, she evened the score and eventually won the match. I watched as her nervousness and frustration turned into grit and glee, all in a single afternoon.On the ride home from that memorable win, I reminded her she still had to finish the last few problems of her math assignment. I smiled, realizing shes embracing a well-rounded education, one that teaches her the importance of studying and working hard on and off the court.Rudri Bhatt Patels?work has appeared in the Washington Post, Brain, Child Magazine, Role Reboot and elsewhere.?Follow her on?Twitter? and?Facebook?or her website,?Being?Rudri. Salomon Shoes Sale . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. Cheap Salomon Shoes Ireland . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. http://www.cheapsalomonireland.com/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Salomon Shoes Clearance . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Salomon Shoes Ireland . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. All right Australia, its over to you. What has become a four-day Test has bought South Africa some luxury time. They can lean back and look to their opposition to make the move.Although day one, with its 15 wickets, packed in enough action for two days and could still mean a result here, it is Australia who will most need to make the play. Theyre already 86 behind and will need to limit South Africas lead as much as possible, then bat both big and quickly to give themselves enough runs and enough overs to bowl South Africa out.South Africa, on the other hand, will be happy to slow things down. Even if they think theres enough time to be able to extend the lead significantly, bowl Australia out and chase, they dont actually need to force anything. A draw in Hobart means going to Adelaide to what will likely will be seamer-friendly conditions with a pack that has already plucked all ten Australian wickets for under 100, twice.A few months ago, when South Africas players en masse rejected the idea of a day-night Test, one of the reasons was because they thought this series was too crucial to end with a match played in unknown conditions. At that stage, it was as though South Africa did not dare to dream they may have the advantage heading there.And thats understandable. They had come off their worst summer since readmission, losing five of eight Tests, had tumbled down the rankings from No.1 to No.7 and there were rumours of senior player retirement and an exodus from the domestic system in a time of transformation.In less than a year, South Africa have put themselves back on track and have found a depth despite the drought. There is even a sense this new South African team could be stronger than they were before. Their Perth comeback was blockbuster material and Australia will need similar in Hobart. At least one person does not think Steven Smiths men will be able to summon the skills to do a South Africa.Graeme Smith, the former South African captain, whose comments thee team have distanced themselves from, took shots at Australias waning cricket culture this week and has now moved on to pointing at their technical problems as well.ddddddddddddIn a column for Sydneys Daily Telegraph, written before the second Test, Smith accused Australias batsmen of not having the temperament required for Test cricket. Australia dont want to work hard for their runs, he wrote. They want to hit boundaries, they want the game to move forward, they want to be positive all the time and theyre not prepared to soak up pressure and work hard for their runs.Smith also blamed the bowler rotation policy for Australias relative lack of bite in the pace pack, especially when compared to South Africas. Sometimes in modern-day sport you can over-complicate things and it seems Australias scientific approach to managing their players has left them unsure of what their best attack is, he said. I think sometimes the simple way is the best way. You want to keep players on the park, you want to win games, you want your best players playing all the time. To me its actually quite simple - if a player has a niggle then he needs to rest, otherwise your best players should be playing all the time no matter the format.Thats the way South Africa have handled Kagiso Rabada, who continues to awe Australia, and was the subject of a Sunday feature in The Age newspaper.Its not the first time South Africa have stepped up in Australia. They won their previous two Test series here. But it is the first time a South African side of relative unknowns are stepping up. That they are doing it by putting the Australian side that were not long ago ranked No.1, under such a severe amount of pressure will only add to the aura. Names are being made and reputations built, so much so that even on a day when no play was possible, South Africa still hold the upper hand. ' ' '
