Grace, Loss, and FREE SHOES

I am not Serena Williams.

Forget what I said the other day. When I alluded to "being" Serena Williams I was simply referring to our physical similarities and tennis prowess.

[cough]

But biceps and backhands aside, Serena and I are very different people.

Certainly, I suffer from occasional delusions of grandeur (Is that my phone ringing? OMG! It's probably Oprah!), and I fall prey to my own egocentrism from time to time - especially after a glass or two of vino (Enough about me. What do you think about me? Anyway, as I was saying...)

Would I name my own clothing line after myself by spelling my name backwards? Probably. Htur. Kind of has a nice ring to it - even if phonetically it sounds like someone spitting. (What do I think of your new clothing line? Htur!)

Would I wear ginormous chandelier earrings on the tennis court? Possibly - if they brought me good luck. Someone I know still wears a really old, transparent, and holey (Note: not "holy") sports bra because she believes it's her good luck charm.


Hey - whatever works.

What most decidedly does not work is rudeness.

Serena Williams has been widely criticized for her unsportsmanlike behavior at the press conference following her loss to Justine Henin in the U.S. Open a couple days ago. Rather than credit her opponent's skill and superior performance - a common courtesy that should be automatic despite the disappointment of loss - she scoffed about "lucky shots" (a.k.a. "winners" executed by Justine) and her own errors. She hung her head, rolled her eyes, and acted like a spoiled child who heard the word "No" for the first time.

(Take note, Nike, this is your multi-million dollar investment.)

Sadly, this is not the first time Williams has failed to acknowledge or applaud her opponents. It happens over and over and over again, with post-match comments that never shine the spotlight on anyone but her own glorious, athletically gifted self.

In my book, real winners are big enough to look outside themselves - especially at times of loss.

You can do better, Serena.

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I've got a new spring in my step thanks to the Parent Blogger Network and RYKA running shoes.



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