Last year, Penelope and I won our annual city doubles tournament during High school tennis season. That year had been really important for us, because Washburn had beaten every team in the conference, except for Southwest. We had been the second best team in the city, consistently getting beat by our rivals. This tournament was our last chance to beat Southwest, and claim the title for the city doubles championships. The first two rounds were held at Powderhorn Park. I remember Penelope and I were very nervous. All we could think about was getting past each round, which would bring us one step closer to the finals. Our first two rounds went very well, which we won pretty easily. It was getting dark, and one the High School coaches announced the two final teams which would play the next evening. Washburn versus Southwest. The Southwest team started cheering and high fiving, as if they had already won the tournament. Penelope and I were really excited, but it wasn’t until the next day that we felt nervous.
The next evening, the finals were to be held at 6. It was at the University of Minnesota. When we got there, our opponents were already there. There whole team was dressed from head to toe in Southwest paraphernalia. Finally, the coaches called our names, handed us three tennis balls, and showed us which court we were playing on. The anticipation was killing us. We practically ran down the steps to get to the courts as quickly as possible. It seemed like forever until we finally started playing. We had to play a full 2 out of 3 sets. Penelope and I had a game plan. Target one the opponents, and hit the ball as hard as we can. On match point, Penelope and I couldn’t stop laughing. We were so close to beating them! Match point went on forever, until I saw my opportunity and hit a volley winner down the middle. We crushed Southwest 6-1, 6-0. We ran and hugged each other. The girls from Southwest were very mad, and didn’t say anything when we shook their hands. Our parents were cheering, everyone was really proud of us. They had a small ceremony for us on the courts. Our coach handed us two, big, shiny trophies with tennis players on top. I was so proud of myself and my partner. Everyone had expected Southwest to win the whole tournament. However, we kept our heads straight, tried our best, and everything worked out in our favor. That was a very proud moment in my life, and a feeling I won’t ever forget.