LTAOrangeBall
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Disclaimer This blog reflects personal views and family life only. It does not represent the views of my employer, any professional body, any tennis organisation, or indeed anyone with a functioning checkout page. As always, any references to children other than my own are kept appropriate and respectful. This is a parent’s account of junior… Read more
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Disclaimer No children, referees, or baked goods were harmed in the writing of this blog. Any tactical observations from the stands were made by highly qualified parents with at least Level 3 expertise in sideline coaching (i.e. folding arms, nodding knowingly, and whispering “he needs to keep it in”). All views are those of a… Read more
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Disclaimer The following blog post contains scenes of excessive youth sport, parental sideline analysis, and at least one adult abandoning tennis training for board games. No Somerset players were harmed in the making of this article. Any tactical assessments of rival counties are based on highly scientific methods, including standing next to courts with a… Read more
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Disclaimer This blog reflects personal experiences, mild exaggerations, and the coping mechanisms of an NHS household during half term. No Upper GI colleagues were intentionally ignored (well… not intentionally). All sporting results are reported with parental bias, selective memory, and the emotional volatility typical of junior tennis. No clinical advice is given here. If symptoms… Read more
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Disclaimer All observations are subjective, occasionally informed by anonymous but reliable courtside sources, and heavily influenced by coffee. No children were psychologically analysed beyond what is standard for junior tennis parents. This morning, Taunton Blackbrook Sports Centre hosted a Grade 4 U9 tennis tournament. Somewhat ominously timed, an email from the Somerset LTA had landed… Read more
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Disclaimer This blog reflects personal views from an Upper GI clinician and parent, written while mildly hypoxic, heavily congested, and fuelled by Lemsip. No patients were harmed, no discharge summaries were intentionally delayed, and any opinions expressed are my own — not those of the Trust, the NHS, the LTA, or whoever currently has my… Read more
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Disclaimer This blog reflects the personal observations of a parent watching junior tennis from the sidelines. It is not a coaching report, an official match record, or an LTA-sanctioned technical analysis. Scores may be misremembered, emotions occasionally mismanaged, and opinions are offered strictly in hindsight, with coffee Another Sunday, another competition, another early start involving… Read more
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Disclaimer This blog contains junior tennis, parenting opinions, emotional regulation strategies that may not be NICE-approved, and competitive behaviour from children who are still missing several adult teeth. All views are personal, observational, and written with hindsight. No umpires were harmed in the making of this post. As explained in my previous entry, food was… Read more
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Disclaimer This blog contains mild sarcasm, tennis-parent angst, and descriptions of U9 line-calling behaviours that may cause involuntary eye-rolling. No actual children were harmed, only a few parental blood-pressure readings. A Slight Change of Plans… Because Of Course This weekend’s original plan was: relax, recover, maybe do absolutely nothing.But then the weekly email from the… Read more
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Disclaimer No children were emotionally harmed beyond the usual tournament-related character building. Opinions expressed are mine. The LTA does not endorse tears, McFlurries as coping mechanisms, or parents whispering “just swing through the ball for the love of god” into sports hall air. After the “glorious” success at the last U9 Grade 3 in Taunton… Read more
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