Self-control is the ability to exercise control over one's feelings and behavior. I believe learning self-control is an amazing achievement and a quality many people lack! Without self-control it is hard to keep yourself out of bad situations!

During a tennis match, my doubles partner, Laura, and I were playing against Sterling in the finals. The game started off great, we were winning and the other team was being very kind, even though we were winning. We thought the game would be a total domination, and we’d have our 1st place win easily!

Then, going into the seventh game, we were up 4-2, the score was 15-30, but the other team had called it backwards. So, I stopped to correct them. I said we needed to redo the point. They started to get a little snotty with us. The next point Laura hit a beautiful volley right down the alley. The other teadidn't’t even get close to the ball.

I was so proud of her, but the other team stopped and said rudely, “You reached over the net!”

I knew for a fact that Laura did not reach over the net! So I stood up for for what I knew was right, and kept saying “No, my partner did not reach over the net!”

The argument went on for what seemed like forever. Then, I finally ddecided this isn’t worth my time we can beat this team even if they cheat! We went on and ended up losing that game. The score was now 4-3, I was pretty upset we got cheated out of a game but I had to stay positive! I knew that I had to lose some to win some. That’s something I learned pretty easy around here, but this was a game I wasn’t going to lose without a fight! I knew the moment I got down, so would my partner. Once we were both down the other team would feed on that. It had happened to us a million times, but it wasn’t going to today!

Instead, I became very polite! “Kill the people you don’t like with kindness!” my mother always said when I was growing up. So, right then I became overly nice! I started complimenting their good shots! I think it surprised them. Only when I was little, being nice could fix the problem. They became nasty at us, whispering back and forth about us and giving us sly little smiles. I remained polite; though in my head I was seeing their defeat!

Many times they were standing right in front of me and I could hear every word they were saying about us, but I remained polite. I knew once I snapped I couldn’t become nice again! I held in all my feelings! I was starting to boil over, I was afraid I couldn’t hold it in much longer! Laura was not being as polite as I was. She was angry and I could hear it in her voice. But, I couldn’t let her anger affect me.

Self-control is not falling into peer pressure. Once Laura loses her composure, I usually lose mine. I wasn’t going to lose mine though, I was teaching myself to remain calm. Self-control keeps me out of difficult situations and if I fall into it we will lose. I keep my composure and we go on to win the game.

Finally, our coach shows up. I had never been so happy to see him in my life! We were up 5-3 and it was Laura’s serve. Laura served a beautiful first serve that hit perfectly on the line! Before I could get the words good job Laura out, they said “Out!”

I could have lost it right then and there, and I almost did but I looked up at Coach and something told me in my head that I should keep my mouth shut! So, I turned around and smiled at Laura, my partner, both knowing her serve was in. That was the moment we realized we had achieved self-control as a doubles team. Realizing that brought up our spirits. We knew we had this match. We ended up winning, and finally got to talk to our coach.

Coach knew we were frustrated but ready to win. He just told us to get it done, and we did. We won the next two matches, sending us back over to talk to our coach. It was Laura’s serve again. All we needed was good serves, fair calls, and we’d have the game. Laura’s serves went amazing, leaving them no choice but to call them fairly.

Winning that match brought more happiness to me than I’ve ever felt in my life. Walking off the court, I put on my biggest smile. Later when we received our medals for 1st place, Laura broke down into tears. I now know how to be self-controlled, and I feel so accomplished winning our first tournament together. I keep my self-control for Laura. I play for my partner, she taught me self-control.