======================================================
by Philipina A. Marcelo
Hmmm... as I prepare to go back to "serious work", it frustrates me that I can't seem to push my throat to high gear. :(
Good teaching is all about effective communication. It's about the art of stringing pieces of well-known information together in a fluid narrative, defined by coherence, punctuated by important concepts that are tossed in at the right places... to capture the students' interest, and build their
confidence as they allow themselves to be led and go deep into the womb of the narrative. As the story is weaved, a few new things are thrown in here and there to titillate the students' curiosity, pieces of information are withheld in strategic places to challenge students to fill in the gaps... all the time building some suspense... until the students' curiousity is about to burst at the seams, aching to find out if their guesses and deductions were correct... and then you deliver the "punchline" - new pieces of information that fill some critical gaps in the narrative. As you watch the students' faces light up, you know you've accomplished the day's task. A big sigh of relief... and pleasure! :) But all this has to do with the teacher's voice... and the manner by which the voice is maneuvered as the narrative slows down, takes sharp turns, speeds up, and rises to the climax of the lecture. My voice isn't 100% back yet... and I have difficulty maneuvering whatever "little voice" I have gained so far despite the great help I'm getting from my Knights. While I know that it's only been 18 days, and it's way too early to expect 100% recovery, I hate to disappoint my students. And so, I'm feeling blue... and the rain isn't helping either. :(
But it's June 20! It's the beginning of the Wimbledon Championships fortnight! It's the beginning of the most prestigious of them Grand Slams (at least, for me)... played on sentimental tennis fans' most revered surface, that one on which tennis was first played - grass! Hmmm... the world makes sense again! Yaaay!
***
Tennis hotness
So, it's game on over at the All England Club! O, ya! :)
And what's hot? It's the gentlemen's singles, of course! With the Top 4 men in the rankings filling out the big stage in the semi-finals at Roland Garros just two weeks ago, there is every reason to expect that the grass of Wimbledon is going to be a fierce hunting ground for silverwares in the next fortnight. Even the legendary grass court specialist, Pete Sampras, could not resist giving his take on the matter of the Wimbledon run of the "Big Four". Then again, which tennis fan could resist speculating?
After the excitement left by the Nadal-Federer championship in Roland Garros, the men's draw is expected to sizzle under the moody London
Rafa Nadal, the defending champ.clouds. Having captured his 10th "big one", and his sixth Coupe des Mousquetaires in the City of Lights to step on the same ledge of Clay Greatness with Bjorn Borg, No. 1 in the World and defending champ Rafael Nadal gets to SW19 once again with an air of invincibility about him. While the 25-year old Spanish Matador continues to downplay his phenomenal achievements, it would be foolish to doubt his capability and determination to defend his title - right down to the wire - as always!
Roger Federer - he who has the most number of "big ones" in the history of men's tennis - on the other hand, continues to baffle sports
Roger Federer, rendezvous
with history?analysts. With his unrelenting genius that sparked brilliantly again in Paris after less than impressive runs in Madrid and Rome, battling old rival Nadal in the final, he left many naysayers openmouthed - yet again - not knowing which stage to put him now in his brilliant career. Is he nearing the end? Did he just mount his second wave of men's tennis domination? Just like in 2003, when SW19 revealed its precious historical find in this sublime genius of Switzerland when the tennis world was hungry for one, the All England Club seems to possess the answer to these questions again. And, whatever the answer is, it's going to be totally fantastic to once again savour El Maestro's mesmerizing grass repertoire - that's for sure!
The ball of fire Novak Djokovic, who came to Roland Garros as the man to watch, threatening to snatch the #1 spot in men's ranking from Nadal, and poised to make history to become the man with the longest
Novak Djokovic, resuming an
exhilarating run.winning streak, fell short only in the semis in Roland Garros against the Swiss Maestro. But with his 41 string of straight wins in the 2011 season, before falling in the hands of Federer, the No. 2 in the World Serb was only one win short of equalling John McEnroe's record of 42. While The Djoker ran out of steam to complete a demolition mission in the City of Lights, he comes to SW19 with another lethal threat to edge Nadal from the #1 spot. And so, we await as he continues his exhilarating run this season at the All England Club... and quite trembling, too - in excitement!
And then there's that fine lad who continues to stand and run around the peripheries of Greatness, just behind Nadal, Djokovic and Federer - the British No. 1, Andy Murray. Hmmm... will the 2011 SW19 major stop be the MAJOR point in Murray's career? Thinking - deep - to
Andy Murray, the man with
a mission. answer this question gets me a little bit emotional, to be honest. Because, how many times... just how many times should one try, and just how hard, until the elusive goal finally surrenders to captivity? Like I said before, Andy Murray does not lack talent - that's for sure! His shots kit is comparable with the rest of the Big Four. He just needs a more compelling reason, a real meaningful one to propel him past those three in front of him... and finally win a Grand Slam! Perhaps, he shouldn't "chase" it... perhaps, he should strive to tame it instead, so it comes to him. And to tame it, he should believe - and stay faithful, like his Mum - that he can do it! That's how Federer and Nadal, and later Djokovic, did it. Andy Murray shouldn't think about the rank, or just how many world records does the guy on the other side of the net hold. He should focus on playing each point - on his term... and winning it, one by one. I really want to see him win a Grand Slam soon! How soon? Very soon!
So there. Four men... and many others (Robin Soderling, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Gilles Simon and Juan Martin del Potro just to name a few) - all oozing awesomeness! Whew! Sweet, so sweet, this Wimbledon affair!
***
My "grass money"
So, how am I playing my "grass money"? I'm putting it on the Swiss Maestro! All Big Four and their exciting reasons for winning are worth rooting for. And then, the "other men" who have made the runs of the Big Four some staggeringly perilous battles are also worth a second thought. But RF exceeded all expectations in Roland Garros two weeks ago, and clay is his least favorite surface. Grass is his favorite surface... and the grass of Wimbledon is special to him. Roger Federer, with all his genius and incredible talent, is a sentimental guy - he understands "special". With a seventh Wimbledon title, he'd tie Pete Sampras's record, and perhaps cement his hold on the record of the most number of Grand Slam titles in the history of men's tennis. That would give him a compelling claim on the Greatest of All Times... and a compelling reason to aim for victory in SW19. Now, if he could only forget about the "big one" in the meantime, and concentrate on winning every single point on court with steel resolve, it would be great. In any case, history beckons... and where else is most appropriate to re-write history but in the All England Club of Wimbledon?
***
Oh, and there's more...
As for the women's draw....
OK, history seemed to have closed its doors on the glamorous but inconsistent women of tennis these days. Aaah, if only Justine Henin was around, or Kim Clijsters was fit to compete, or Amelie Mauresmo was still interested to come to the party... wishful thinking.
Well, there's 2011 French Open champ Li Na - there, that's something... and Serena Williams is back - uhm, so? *yawn* Well, she's in the same quarter of the draw as Li Na - ok, sounds like fun. Admittedly, I'm interested to find out if Samantha Stosurs would finally conquer her nerves, rake up enough aggression and passion, to allow her talents to dominate her game instead. *sigh* Maria Sharapova is looking all-determined for some grassy affair-to-remember - loudly, I suppose... but I wonder how Nike's dressing her up for the occasion. *yawn* And, of course, there's the No. 1 in the World Caroline Wozniacki... that's it, I'm taking a nap! ;)
***
Photo credits: All photos, except the first one (mine), were grabbed from the Wimbledon website - thanks.
