Monster Mash and Match Point!

The chums and I were invited to a Halloween costume party, and we decided on which costumes to wear based on our attitudes. Stefan went with a Gladiator outfit because of his determination and never backing down from anything. Henri adopted the look of a Matador to match his confidence, while also honoring his Spanish heritage. Ken opted for a lifeguard look, already a perfect match for his love of surfing and laid-back attitude. It was tough trying to find a great costume for myself. After mulling my options, I chose to be a princess, with a cute tiara and gown, since I’m sweet and wholesome. After we had prepared all our costumes, weattended the costume party held near our house.

The costume party was held by our lifelong tennis coach, Scott. He’s helped us from the start of our careers to today by competing in tournaments and becoming better tennis players. He welcomed us in, showed us where all the food and drinks were, and caught up with our progress so far. I told him I needed some more help with my backhand, and we scheduled a day he could coach me on better techniques. After catching up with him, we grabbed some food and mingled with others. They had Halloween-themed music playing throughout the house. Henri and Ken danced along to Monster Mash, and that made me laugh as they tried to dance along. They’re not the most choreographed, but I give them props for putting themselves out there!

Later in the night, Scott set up a bobbing for apples station for anyone who wanted to try. Stefan felt confident he could grab 3 apples with his mouth. Itwas much harder than he thought, however! He couldn’t grab an apple for the longest time, coming up for air and getting frustrated. I cheered him on and gave him some advice. He dunked his head back in after our talk and was determined this time to grab an apple no matter what. He moved his head around, back and forth with the apples moving, and after a long-foughtbattle, he lifted his head up with an apple in his mouth! I cheered as did everyone else around us. Knowing he had had enough, he let someone else have a turn. Henri and Ken approached us, and Stefan recalled what happened. “Maybe you should stick with tennis”, Henri jokingly told Stefan. Stefan nodded and agreed and was happy he came out with at least one apple.

As the party started to wind down, Ken noticed that Scott had a tennis courtin his backyard. He asked us if we wanted to play a 2-on-2 game, and we all agreed. We went to Scott first to ask if it would be ok, and he said yes. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be out to meet you guys”, he said to us. We went out to the court and picked up rackets that were left nearby. We decided on Stefan and me against Henri and Ken. Still dressed in our costumes, we got a game started with each of us giving it our all. Scott came out as we began and watched us rally back and forth. At times, he would offer us some pointers on our serves or strokes, and we would adjust accordingly. As we broke for a timeout, he came to me and gave me some pointers on my technique for my backhand shot. Once we got going again, I felt my game become elevated. It was great having him coach us, and a fun night for a Halloween costume party!

‍