Racquet, Balls, iPod, Wall. #Drenched!

Cinder-Block Wall Will Wear You Out @May's Park
This weekend we witnessed perhaps one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. Maybe not the best, but it was up there to be sure. After all, it's the first time I can remember going to bed watching a match, only to wake up watching the same contest. The match between JokerNole and Rafael Nadal was just under six hours of crazy speed and power. No matter who won, the event had everyone who knows competition shaking their heads.

It also solidified the fact that seemingly everyone has their own "nemesis." Djokovic is clearly Nadal's nemesis, as Nadal is Federer's. Bringing this notion down a few million levels, the tall green fella in the pic above is clearly mine.

There aren't too many tennis backboards in Columbia, SC. There's one at Heathwood Park, and an uneven/warped wooden one at Trenholm Park. They're all green, and all three whip me good and teach me patience.

Gold's Gym has tons of equipment, and Shandon may be the best place to run in The Midlands, but the most brutal yet fun workout for me is to go toe-to-toe with one of these walls. Most people don't think of this, but to swing at and chase a tennis ball for an hour with an iPod strapped on is as good a workout as you can find.

The iPod is key, as it's easy to get lost in the time, and before you know it, you're drenched, and your arm is about to fall off.

The only flaw in using tennis as your core sweat box is that it takes at least two to make it happen. These walls provide an exception, and when you finally realize it, it makes for a better workout than 90% of the matches most players play.

Hopefully we'll see more walls kick up around town. Who knows, maybe one day businesses will be able to sponsor tennis backboards. After all, they may be perfect little billboards waiting to happen. (Eureka!!!... I just stumbled onto another project/blog post!)