#i really think the nerves for the event from the players contributed for their high stress. and they just went full in

[yelow-heart]

Can we have a moment to hug and applause and appreciate the hell out of the admins?

Holy shi*, the vibes, the cinematics, the animation, the lore implications, the introduction to this new baddy. This entire freaking event!!

It's so so good. And how well they handled any setback, wich were all mild all things considered. And having to manage 25+ pov of players, making sure all of them had a smooth enough run

Just

Crazy. I loved it. I'm loving it.

And as a viewer who mains mostly the streamers on the Red Team. What a shit show they went through. Glorious. Perfect. I hope they become worse. The parallels btw them and the green were so fucking funny to watch. I hope they keep this team as is and just start feeding into the madness. And keep spoiling the green team. And keep crushing blue team with incredible amounts of stress.

I love love love this.

Thank you, admins, devs, tech team, whoever works behind this wonderful project. And the people are right: Quackity should be proud with what he created.

[putschki1969]

Kalafina Club 2018/01/30

Note: Here’s this week’s episode. It’s technically* the first episode after their 10th Anniversary so I thought I’d provide a summary for it. Also, Keiko’s surprise message at the end is the sweetest thing EVER!! Please keep in mind that my Japanese is not the best (my listening comprehension is severely lacking) but I tried my best as always XD [*An episode aired on the actual day of the live but that was recorded before the live so it doesn’t really count. I will probably provide a summary for that once I am done with this one here]

Let’s get right to it 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Episode #391

Day Duty: Hikaru

Song: All My True Love by SPEED (1998) as requested by “まいやいやえいえいる”

Lyrics 今こそ ALL MY TRUE LOVE 愛を受け止めて どんな時だって　私はいつもそばにいるよ こわれそうだった日も ゆずれなかった　あの夜さえも 誇れる時がいつか訪れる あの虹を越えて　響き合う魂よ 誰にも負けない！

Wakana says this song makes you feel super refreshed. Keiko asks her if she will be fine this late at night or if she is overhyped now. Wakana replies that, yes, she will be fine, she just got a little overexcited. Time for Kala-Janken. According to Wakana, Hikaru is in battle-mode tonight, she first beats Keiko and then Wakana. Hikaru then goes on to provides the usual intro for Kalafina Club and introduces their opening number => “All My True Love” by SPEED as requested by this fan. Wakana is surprised it’s already been 20 years since this song was released, so nostalgic. Hikaru talks about how she was all giddy when the album (including this song) was finally available in stores. Wakana still loves the song a lot, everytime she listens to it, she gets all “wakuwaku” (excited). They all agree that this piece makes them feel like they are going back in time. It’s the first time they have sung this song together and even though it was hard they wanna sing more SPEED songs on their radio show. Hikaru is suggesting a live where they sing all of their songs XD

♪ Eden ♪

Time for some impressions of their 10th Anniversary Live on Jan 23. First we have a mail by a fan called “おにぎりのぐ”. They say that the 10th Anni Live was super amazing. It was the VERY first Kalafina-live they ever attended, in fact, it was their VERY first concert in general, so the excitement was real. The fan is more than happy that the first live he/she got to experience was an awesome Kalafina concert. To have the concert start with such bright songs like ryb and Mirai was truly heartwarming. The transition between dark songs, warm ballads and upbeat tunes was also great, it was so much fun to get immersed in Kalafina’s world. The fan says that the live almost felt like enjoying some high class French cooking with all those favourite songs being performed. The final song Alleluia left a lasting impression and provided an image of a sparkling future filled with hope. The fan was moved to tears and wants to thank the girls from the bottom of his/her heart.

The girls express their gratitude for this lovely mail and Wakana says she is happy that their final song Alleluia was capable of conveying such a strong feeling of hope. She says that a lot of her friends also voted for Alleluia and she thinks it’s great that they got to do a live where pretty much the entire setlist was comprised of songs that were chosen by the audience.  

Keiko then says that they are actually recording this episode just two days after the live so the memories are still super fresh, their nerves are still on edge, their bodies are still 100% in concert mode so to speak XD [at least according to Keiko, not sure about the other two] It’s cute how Keiko says it’s “radio magic” that the episode airs much later than it was recorded XD

Hikaru talks about how she felt super close to the audience during their first two songs, it felt really nice to start their live by singing “ryb” and “Mirai” while looking at everyone’s faces in the audience. Even during the rehearsals they felt like these two songs would be perfect to literally “break the ice” and get everyone in the right mood for the concert. It’s the same with “Ongaku” which also always serves as a sort of mood-maker.

♪ ring your bell ♪

More impression of their 10th Anni. This time a mail by a fan called  ぴーち /Peach. The fan talks about how they traveled all the way from Osaka to see the live. It’s the first time they have travelled this far for a live. The girls are very happy to hear that. On the way back home the fan looked through the entire pamphlet, read all the interviews as well as Yuki Kajiura’s message. The final page of the pamphlet left a lasting impression because it was so beautiful. The live itself was amazing, the three hours passed by so quickly, there were lots of tears as would be expected from a Kalafina live. Peach hopes that the girls will take a break now so they can recover from all the work in 2017. Their minds and bodies deserve to take some rest [I wholeheartedly agree!] A final big thank you for the gorgeous harmony that was created on that day. Keiko seems a bit embarrassed by all the praises in this mail. She is like, “Peach! Stop it!!” She is very happy tho that the final page of their pamphlet is so well-received. She explains that when it comes to Kalafina pamphlets they usually don’t smile and even if they do, it’s without showing teeth. To have this sort of picture for their 10th Anniversary pamphlet feels very special and she thinks it’s fitting because they are very happy to finally celebrate their 10th Anniversary so why not show that happiness in the pamphlet, right? Hikaru agrees, it’s a very “real” and casual picture. Wakana says this was taken while they were casually talking with each other during a break. [Truly the best picture of the enture pamphlet which is why I chose it as cover image for this episode ~ in case you wondered]

Wakana continues by saying that, yes, the three hours went by in the blink of an eye. They can’t believe they actually performed three hours, it felt so short. The other two agree, it didn’t feel like three hours at all. Even with the lack of MC and encore it felt like time was flying because they were focused on singing.

They continue by talking about various arrangements. Like for example, the changed arrangement for “serenato” where they included the accordion player. They think it added a lot of atmosphere to the song. Speaking of arrangments, they say that they always try to think of something new for the bridge in Ongaku. When they do the introductions of their musicians, it’s supposed to sound different every time. They are particularly proud of the instrumental solos this time around. [I agree, it sounded a lot better than usual for some reason, more intentional than just random playing :P]

♪ progressive ♪

Hikaru provides info on upcoming events. And then Keiko quietly asks if it’s okay to read out a message she has written, she has prepared a short note for both Wakana and Hikaru. The two of them seem very surprised. YAY, surprise message by Keiko. This is by far the highlight of the episode. Listen closely to Keiko.

To Hiichan: In these ten long years Hiichan has been listening to the conversations of who knows how many people, always remaining silent. During this time she has become a beacon of immense support for me. I truly respect Hikaru’s attitude of listening quietly. From now onwards I would like Hikaru to have conversations with many people, in her own way of communicating through singing. Thank you for these past ten years!

To Waka-chan: Wakachan's voice is truly the defining feature of Kalafina, as defining as a face is to the human body. I feel like despite many pressures and hurdles throughout the past ten years Hikaru and I have contributed to putting various expressions on that face, wishing to preserve this defining feature, wanting to protect her voice. I am incredibly grateful. From Keiko*

Towards the end of her message for Wakana, you can clearly hear how Keiko gets all choked up, she has trouble to continue talking. It’s the sweetest thing ever to hear her get so emotional. And then when you hear how Wakana thanks her for the message, it’s obvious that she has been reduced to tears. Awwwww! *sobs*

Shout-out to @kuroiyuki88 who helped me translate these messages.

Keiko then cutely asks Hikaru to finish the episode and that’s a wrap XD

[mikumanogi-blog]

2017-03-17 ”A changing of scenery” Kubo Shiori Blog #8

When I take a breath and inhale for a second, I can taste the smell of spring. It’s spring isn’t it. It is spring.

Hello everyone, thank you for you continuous hard work. I’m Kubo Shiori, pleased to meet you!!

First let me start off by saying…today’s blog is going to be pretty long (‘._.`) Therefore, please feel free to read it through little by little when you have the time.

 Starting off, although it’s personal, a few days ago I graduated from middle school. Joining Nogizaka46 was a huge milestone in my life that it became part of my middle school life as well. Three years, gone in the blink on eye. At the diploma presentation I thanked everybody individually, from the heart, with a personalized thank you for each person. Then we got together and relived some of our memories of everybody. (Although, because of shyness, there were times I didn’t really say anything, but even then, I still noticed the results of everyone’s hard work in their studies and in their club activites...). That’s what we thought about.

Going forward I want to keep making lots of memories so I can thank everyone for all the memories we made together, that is how I want it to be. Please look after the high school version of me. I just felt like a high school student!? On the inside I’m still an elementary schooler.

  Moving on, the music video for「sanbanme no kaze」has ben released, did you have a chance to watch it yet…? I was nervous the whole time…watching the other members get filmed made my stomach hurt (´･_･`)

One scene that personally surprised me was, around 3:32~ because I was seriously checking my dance moves at the time it was a shock. For the 3rd generation members, even in the future, this will always be an important song for us. Everyone please check it out. Thank you very much.

 On top of that the trailers for the individual PV’s have also been released. Thank you so much to Koroyasu Yusuke for managing my first film shoot. This time too I was constantly nervous and caused a lot of trouble for everyone... (´･_･`)　I don’t think there has been any other individual PV’s like mine up till now, it’s slightly embarrassing but I want everyone to watch it. Please check it out.

I’m wearing black clothes with swept bangs. It’s slightly different my usual selfies.

  I’m going to talk about something that happened recently. (Based on the opinions of the people in the comments that said they liked pleasant things I’m going to talk about something that happened recently)

Recently, when using my cellphone, I’ve been waiting for the loading symbol to disappear before touching the screen. If I continue to do this, I feel like it will cleanse my soul. I plan to continue this practice.

 Recently I’ve been enjoying the WBC (World baseball classic)! I’m watching all of it. It’s quite moving, it’s make you tear up doesn’t it. While watching it I though, it’s amazing that even through the screen I can still be moved emotionally. I want to become a person that can do the same.  To all the players, I have deep respect for you. (I can’t seem to think of any words other than ‘please hang in there’ and ‘please do your best’.) I love baseball. When I was in younger, I would often go straight from kindergarten to the baseball pitch. I love watching sports, I’m an expert at it.

 The other day I had a delightful photoshoot. It was really pleasant and enjoyable. “As expected, I really do like getting my photo taken is something” I often think to myself. On the other hand I also think to myself, “I still have a ways to go”. I have a feeling that something has burst inside of me, I want to tell everyone about it as soon as possible.

Moving on to EX Taishu san, I did a dialogue together with Suzuki Ayane san and Ikoma Rina san (´･_･`) There were a lot of things I want to talk about but due to my extreme tenseness I wasn’t able to talk about any of them, I also inconvenienced the senior members…

In the photos my cheeks are pink. I didn’t even put even put on that much blush! I was so nervous that my face turned red (´･_･`) While being a tight bundle of nerves I went a did the photoshoot. If you were to buy the magazine it would make me really happy.

  I’m going to move to the Q&A corner!!

 ·         Do you have any memories related to your sports day?

In my second year of middle school our class won the competition. In the relay we went from last to the winners! I wasn’t able to contribute anything but in the group photo I appear to be the one having the most fun. Also in my second year we won first place a choir competition. Even though I wasn’t able to participate in my third year I’m happy I still got to participate in practice with everyone else.

 ·         Recently, what’s delicious at the convenience store?

Dried squid ♡ (Honestly, some sweet deserts or ice cream are good, meat buns and chicken are also good)

 ·         Are you a morning person?

I was considerably bad a getting up, I would open my eyes, but I couldn’t stay awake. My mom got mad at me every day, but nowadays I’m worried I can’t fall asleep (´･_･`)

 I’m going to end the Q&A here for day! I’m sorry for a short session (´･_･`)

  Next topic is the handshake event. All of my sections at all the venues have been sold out. Thank you so very much…Truly. It was a huge surprise, but I am truly grateful. I’m looking forward to what we will be talking about….!

There have even been a lot of questions in the comments asking “What should we talk about?” I’ll be happy enough that you came to see me, so I’ll be delighted regardless of the subject. If you’re really struggling to think of something, Principle, the MV for ‘sanbanme no kaze’, my individual PV, or anything else are all good topics.

Another comment that I received is “would you be happy to see a female fan the same age as you?” For me, even just telling me that you know about me makes me happy (´･_･`) So of course I would be happy (´･_･`) It doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, young, or old I would still be happy! Thank you very much. If you have any requests for what I should wear don’t be afraid to tell me.

I wanted to try a different look than the usual.

 The 11th of March will mark 6 years since the Tohoku earthquake in 2011. The earthquake happened when I was in 3rd grade. I can remember every moment plain as day, the shaking, evacuating to the playground, crying every time there was an aftershock, having to travel long distances by foot to buy food, getting updates from the radio as well as everything I saw before my eyes. Even though I have currently left my hometown of Miyagi and have moved to Tokyo what happened during that time is something I’ll never forget. That’s why I want to repay the hometown that raised me.

I believe that what I can do as someone from that town is to shine as a member of Nogizaka46 and deliver that power to the prefecture of Miyagi. For that reason as well I need to keep doing the best that I can. Every time I hit an obstacle in my path I will need to rise to the occasion and overcome it.

My beloved town, my one and only hometown I’ll become a spark, a spark that shines so powerfully that you’ll be able to see it all the way in Miyagi from Tokyo. To all the victims, I’m praying from the bottom of my heart that you can return to a life with peace of mind as quickly as you can.

(TL note: The closest prefecture to the 2011 earthquake was Miyagi, Kubo’s home town, which was 75 km away from the epicenter. Parts of Miyagi also registered a 7, the highest possible rating, on the Japanese Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale.)  

  Thank you so much once again for all the comments on my previous blog. I make sure to carefully read each one. I’ve been supported by everyone for half a year. I’ve been able to experience a lot of different things. I fought with my fear over not knowing what my future is going to be, the future is something one must build, a story one must create, the me now is just a reference for the future me.  

Lately I’ve been constantly having feelings of frustration, but I can’t seem to stop them. Therefore, please picture me somewhere in you’re mind’s eye. When looking at a target you suddenly happen to notice grass growing beneath it. That grass is me…or something like that. There will be a day when I become that target. I made that story up, it’s probably quite complex and difficult to understand (´･_･`)

(TL Note: I’m not sure about the metaphor she is going after here and so I might not have translated it correctly.)

  Tomorrow’s blog is Tamami’s!

Just the other day Tamami went through the trouble of calling me after watching Tangled.

Sigh~ one blogs in the cycle of twelve is now over. There are still a lot of things I want to tell you…I apologize for the boring content (´･_･`)

I’ll write again soon.

Kubo Shiori

 I would like to let everyone know that I am going to continue to change going forward and I am going to exceed everyone’s imaginations.

https://blog.nogizaka46.com/third/2017/03/037438.php 

[lilac-milk-moon]

6 Things You Can Learn About Your Personal Finances from COVID-19 

The COVID-19 pandemic can be a complex concept to process emotionally. The virus is affecting so many areas of our lives — health, relationships, education, work, hobbies… and of course finances. Some families are experiencing a serious crisis while others are experiencing only minor changes to the routines. 

I’ve been asking myself “How should I think about this and feel about it?” What can we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic? And it’s complicated. I want to be sensitive to anyone whose family has been affected directly. I want to be appreciative of healthcare workers who are putting themselves at risk to care for others. 

Personally, COVID-19 has started to affect my family — I recently learned that my great uncle has been confirmed positive. 

Within the personal finance online community, the virus has made its presence felt. Paula Pant from Afford Anything, one of my personal favorite blogs and podcasts, chronicled her fight with the virus on Twitter throughout April and early May. Thankfully, she has now tested negative for the virus.

But amidst all of this discomfort and uncertainty, I have personally felt some moments of clarity. Here are a few things that the COVID-19 has brought more into focus — 6 things that you can learn about personal finances amidst this pandemic.

1. The stock market is not dependable in the short-term

From mid-February to March 23, the S&P 500 index dropped about 34% from fears of the pandemic and its effect on the economy. 34% in one month! That’s definitely unnerving, and that degree of volatility can cause some investors to panic. 

But, selling off your shares due to fear after a big drop in the market can actually be one of the worst things you can do. You’re “locking in” your losses and the market may recover before you’re able to re-invest. The March dip in the market is a great reminder of why I choose to only invest in the stock market for long-term goals. In fact, this is one of my personal rules for investing. (You can read my full list of 7 self-imposed rules for investing here.)

I talked about the COVID-19 scare and long-term investing with the writer of the Keeping Up With the Bulls blog.

She shared, “Needless to say, between the daily news on the pandemic and experiencing my first few limit downs it was a nerve wracking March! 

I always keep a list of stocks I’m watching and buy a few shares here and there (in addition to my automated 401k contributions) even when I think the market is surprisingly high. This helped me continue to stay the course when we had no idea how far the market would fall. It was tempting to get into new areas like trading options but I reminded myself I am a long-term investor, not a day trader! 

I may have missed out on some wild short term gains but in the long term I’m still pretty confident sticking to what I know and continuing my investing strategy will get me farther. I elaborated more on investing in a volatile market in this post on my site.”

If you’re investing for long-term goals, you can expect short-term volatility rather than being surprised by it. 

It’s good advice all around.

2. Flexibility is critical

Businesses and investors too have faced risk and new changes. 

Flexibility in real estate investing

I recently talked with Rachel Hernandez from the investing site Adventures in Mobile Homes. She explained how she’s had to change her rental process because of COVID-19.

Rachel shared, “Before COVID-19, I was able to freely show the homes I had on the market in person.

Since the pandemic, I have not been able to do that due to the shelter in place restrictions in my area. So I’ve had to adjust and come up with a system of showing homes on the market without being there.

Now I post pictures online of homes I have on the market. Those who are interested are able to take an application in a box near the front porch of the homes I have on the market. Then they fax in the application and the information needed to apply.

To give people peace of mind, I tell them they can go through the home once they are approved one last time before any paperwork is signed. This helps to calm down any questions or fears they have about the home.

This is just one of the things I’ve had to do to run my real estate investing business. Through experience, I’ve learned how to adapt when challenging situations arise.”

Flexibility in financial planning

Ultimately, flexibility can bring you significant financial gain and unique opportunities. Better yet, flexibility can also buy you something more valuable than money — more control over your time and a sense of balance in your life.

This is the main benefit of semi-retirement and my motivation for creating this site. You can read more about semi-retirement planning here and its benefits compared to traditional retirement and FIRE here.

3. Emergencies are real

A global pandemic certainly qualifies as an emergency, especially if you lost your source of income or actually contracted COVID-19.

In the personal finance blogging world, it’s easy to get the feeling that emergency funds are just a cliche that earns you a lower ROI than other investment options. But COVID-19 is a great reminder that emergencies can and will happen. 

Having an emergency fund can help you meet your short-term financial needs and can also protect your investments and minimize financial anxiety.

4. You can’t depend on the government for your every need

Regardless of what your political views are on what the government should be doing, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that you can’t expect the government to meet all of your financial needs.

Millions of people lack health insurance that could make treatment for COVID-19 affordable. 

When the government has stepped in, funding has run dry at times. 

The stimulus checks certainly helped many families, but we don’t know the details of when or if another round of checks will be distributed.

I don’t have all the answers and I don’t want this post to become politically-oriented, but I want to make it clear that you need to be able to help yourself financially if you want to avoid a bumpy ride.

Financial planners famously use a “three-legged stool” metaphor when discussing retirement. The metaphor illustrates that a stool needs all 3 legs to be stable. In retirement, planners traditionally review 3 income sources for retirement — investments, annuities/pensions, and government support like Social Security.

Likewise, COVID-19 is a reminder that we need a similar multi-faceted approach to supporting ourselves financially in any stage of life. 

Traditional W2 income alone is not enough and relying on the government is scary! Combining income and possible government support with savings and even other income or investments is the most secure approach.

5. Each day is scarce and valuable

Any tragedy or major event can be a strong reminder that life is short. Time is limited, and therefore time is extremely valuable.

Let’s be reminded to enjoy the beauty in life even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a walk. Call a loved one. If you’re a person of faith, this can be an opportunity to dive deeper into it. Or you can even pick up a new hobby.

If you have some unexpected time to kill while you’re at home more, try taking a free course online! I’m personally taking a course through Coursera. Coursera is not a sponsor of Semi-Retire Plan, but I really have enjoyed the experience. Khan Academy and other sites offer free courses as well. 

The course I’m taking is about music theory, which is something I’ve been interested in learning more about for years. I’m a long-time hobbyist guitar player but I’ve wanted to learn more. I even recently bought a bass guitar. It’s added some fun to my numerous recent work from home days.

Learning to play the bass guitar is one of my new COVID-19 hobbies

Find something to enjoy. 

I’m challenging myself to not wish the next few months away. I don’t want to just “fast forward” to the end of the pandemic, because that would be missing out on life. Our time alive is valuable and scarce.

6. Money isn’t more valuable than human life

The COVID-19 pandemic has put political and healthcare leaders into a precarious ethical position. There’s a direct tradeoff between short-term economic activity and social distancing to save human lives. How should they decide what the priority is, and to what extent?

Citizens are grappling with similar questions as we struggle to find our own opinions and decide what activities to participate in. 

I find it to be totally bizarre to hear political leaders write off the value of human lives. The lieutenant governor of Texas suggested that grandparents and senior citizens should be willing to put their own health at risk for the sake of the economy. Other politicians seem to be making similar (yet more implicit) calculations. 

As of March 14, the CDC count has totaled nearly 84,000 confirmed American deaths from COVID-19. Some political leaders are framing this number as acceptable or some kind of success at controlling the virus. 

I recognize that I’m making a complex issue sound black and white, and that’s not accurate. There is an alarming amount of gray area here. 

Political and health policy leaders are essentially being asked to answer an impossible question — how many economic dollars is each American life worth? Is growing the economy by $X worth it if it might cause X number of Americans to die? It’s disturbing to attempt to answer.

I don’t have a solution for that calculation, but I know that the premise of the question is upsetting.

Let’s not make people worth less than dollars. Dollars are things — imaginary social constructs, even. People matter. 

The economy matters and personal finances matter too, but only as tools. Money is only matters if it helps you reach something more valuable — freedom, peace, experiences, or time spent with people you love.

I’d love to hear from you. How are you grappling with these difficult questions and situations? What can we be doing to keep our focus on the things that matter most to us in life?

The post 6 Things You Can Learn About Your Personal Finances from COVID-19  appeared first on Semi-Retire Plan.

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[biofunmy]

Keeping Cori Gauff Healthy and Sane

WIMBLEDON, England — Tennis has its latest prodigy in Cori Gauff, the 15-year-old American who upset Venus Williams, once a wonder child herself, in the first round of Wimbledon of Monday.

This sport, more than most, has long relied on the emergence of such youngsters to drive interest and refresh itself. Tracy Austin. Bjorn Borg. Steffi Graf. Monica Seles. Boris Becker. Michael Chang. Jennifer Capriati. Martina Hingis. The Williams sisters. Maria Sharapova. Rafael Nadal.

The list is extensive, punctuated with cautionary tales. As tennis has become a more physically demanding sport, these breakout moments have been trending later. The seasons ahead will show whether Gauff, the youngest woman’s qualifier in the Open era at Wimbledon, will go on to be a great champion or an early bloomer who was unable to sustain her head start.

[Read about how Cori Gauff managed her game and her nerves against Venus Williams.]

Corey Gauff, the player’s father, longtime coach and the inspiration for his daughter’s name, has attempted to do what he can to help her chances of long-term success. One of his self-appointed tasks: studying tennis prodigies extensively.

“I went through everybody I thought was relevant, that won Grand Slams and were good young,” he said on Monday night with daylight fading but the All England Club still abuzz after his daughter’s upset. “I went through every one of their situations and looked at where they were at a certain age, what they were doing. I asked a lot of questions, because I was concerned about burnout. Am I doing the right things?”

Gauff said he started asking these questions when his daughter “was probably 6 or 7 years old.”

“I studied and studied to prepare myself to make sure if she was able to meet these goals that we’d be able to help the right way,” he said. “That was important. I still sit there and benchmark: ‘O.K., we’re at this point now. How is she doing physically? Is she growing? This is what Capriati did at this stage. This is what Hingis did at this stage, what the Williams sisters did at this stage.’”

Looking at Capriati, who turned professional just before her 14th birthday and reached the top 10 less than a year later, means considering the dark side of being a prodigy: the accumulated pressures that too quickly transform a game into a business. Capriati dropped off the pro tour three years after she entered it, then had a series of arrests for drug possession and shoplifting before achieving her greatest successes in her early 20s.

Great stories, which prodigies continue to be, attract not just attention but money from sponsors. Parents and advisers can get more invested in success — and continued success — than the young player, and the result can be traumatic.

Some precocious talents have experienced physical abuse, including Jelena Dokic, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals at age 17. She has accused her father, Damir Dokic, of beating her, and has written and spoken extensively about it. Her father has denied the accusations.

There is also the physical and mental toll of competing against older, potentially stronger opposition. An alarming number of the brightest young talents in women’s tennis in recent years have been knocked out of the game for extended periods because of long-term injuries.

“The main thing I looked at was how do you prevent injury,” Corey Gauff said. “Because every sport you get hurt. I get that, but I don’t want to contribute to that, so I always thought less is more, less is more.”

And yet he is lobbying for a revision of the WTA’s age restrictions, which were put in place in 1994 in response to the struggles of Capriati and other teenagers. Players age 13 and younger cannot play professional tournaments. Players aged 14 to 17 are allowed to play a limited number of events, which increases each year before unrestricted participation is permitted at age 18.

A girl is normally allowed to play 10 professional tournaments in her 15th year, but Gauff has earned a merit increase to 12 events because of fine results, specifically winning the French Open junior title at 14 and finishing in the top five of the I.T.F. junior rankings.

Gauff can play five more pro events before turning 16 next March, although a further merit increase of two tournaments is possible. Participation in Fed Cup, the women’s team event, would not count against her cap.

“I think anytime a rule is 20-something years old, it needs to be looked at,” said Corey Gauff, pointing out that the other pro sports leagues, like the N.B.A., have adjusted its age requirements over the years.

Sloane Stephens, the top-ranked American women’s singles player at No. 9, said on Tuesday that she believed the rule needed to be less restrictive. Gauff said the “the intent behind the rule is pretty good,” but he has seen its less benevolent effects. He has watched his daughter feel increased pressure to perform well during her limited opportunities.

“She’s like pressed because she doesn’t feel like she’ll get another chance,” he said. “She can’t just play freely.”

The restrictions have hardly served as a panacea against injuries. Laura Robson of Britain, CiCi Bellis of the United States, Ana Konjuh of Croatia and Belinda Bencic of Switzerland have been sidelined for extended periods.

Bencic, a top-10 player at 18, is back to being a contender at 22 after wrist surgery. Seeded No. 13 at Wimbledon, she defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-2, 6-3, in the first round on Tuesday. But the others remain hurt.

Bianca Andreescu, the 18-year-old Canadian so impressive in winning the BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells, Calif., in March, has barely played since then because of a rotator cuff injury in her right shoulder.

Corey Gauff would prefer players under 18 be allowed to play a limited number of matches per year, not a limited number of tournaments.

“There are a lot of ways you can do it,” he said. “Or you could say if you have a first-round loss, it doesn’t count against your tournament total.”

For now, such a change is not imminent, although Amy Binder, a spokeswoman for the WTA, said that the tour was open to further discussion. She noted that the merit increases that Gauff has earned were amendments in 2012 to the original rule.

“The rule has been dynamic over time,” Binder said.

She added that premature retirement (before age 22) had decreased and career duration had gone up since the original age eligibility rule went into effect after the 1994 season.

“An adolescent is going through critical states and stages of her emotional, cognitive and physical well-being,” Binder said. “The WTA is a high-performance, high-stakes environment, which places even greater demands on a young person, which is why the W.T.A. provides extra focus and attention on those adolescent players competing at the professional level.”

Barring a successful legal challenge — something the Gauffs are not currently contemplating — the WTA seems intent on maintaining some sort of restriction.

Corey Gauff said the WTA was right that those years of a girl’s life are “very delicate.”

“These teenagers they can improve fast,” he said, “but if you do it wrong, they get really bad fast.”

Corey Gauff was a basketball player at Georgia State. His wife, Candi, was a hurdler and heptathlete at Florida State and a gymnast in her youth. They emphasized a variety of sports when their daughter was very young.

“I think it helps parents when they have played as high as college or even pro,” Corey Gauff said. “You better understand the process, and so you don’t get too jittery about it. You don’t feel like you’re running out of time, so you are not rushed. You kind of meet your kid where they are at.”

The family has sought frequent outside counsel: “It’s honestly been a village of coaches,” he said.

Cori Gauff chose to sign with Team8, the agency started by Roger Federer and his longtime agent Tony Godsick, in part because the Gauffs believed a long-term approach had worked well for Federer, who turned pro at 17 and is still winning titles at 37.

Candi Gauff has intentionally limited her tennis role in recent years (Cori also has two younger brothers). “I try to back away on the court, because too many voices can be a crowd,” Candi Gauff said. “I let my husband be the coach, and I’m the supportive mom, the one if she hurts or is crying that she can communicate with.”

Corey Gauff said he did not want a rule revised expressly to accommodate his daughter, who prefers to be called by her nickname Coco.

“I don’t want it to be a Coco rule,” he said. “Just look at what you call development and come up with a better approach and challenge it. Don’t just say we’ll look at it and don’t do anything. Because the women’s game needs more excitement. There’s no doubt about it.”

Perhaps, but it does not need more cautionary tales.

Sahred From Source link Sports

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[tommyoboe]

FINAL YEAR - WEEK 27.

So stress reentered my life this week...

Here I am. In another airport. Waiting for another flight. To another place. First world problems, I know.

But as I sit here with annoying children kicking my bag at pretty much every opportunity, having braced a three hour train journey packed like sardines next to mad football fans with a fragrance they like to call ‘not washing and drinking shitty beer’, I reflect on this stress and how it really has returned in some guises this week.

I don’t have my usual daily notes with me so I’m kind of improvising this week, but yesterday, for example, I was in a rehearsal, playing some really cool pieces for a colleague’s major project, and I just wasn’t with it. I changed reeds twice as I didn’t have something useable for my audition on Monday (hence the sweaty train journey and rather rammed airport) whilst also putting pressure on myself to get documents printed for the audition straight afterwards before going off to teach.

Well that went really well, especially with none of the printers in the two main buildings working at all. I say that: in fact it worked for printing my boarding pass and perfectly stapling it together (which I didn’t even specify a desire for), but then two seconds later it failed to work for the things I really needed to print.

So I had to resort to using the printer at my student’s place, which I was oh so grateful for. I was extremely relieved something could be sorted, but the not knowing was not a nice feeling at all in the build up.

Fast forward, I’m on the plane now: we are through the clouds and the sun is making a lovely appearance as it sets on the horizon.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve trialled waking up earlier to get more work done, and to my disappointment this combined with working until later most days has not been to my advantage. After a stressful first shift as a steward at the Conservatoire (will certainly get on to that) I was working on my project notes until gone midnight when I physically could not do any more. It was not pleasant, and although ultimately it was the right thing to do as I was able to finish the editing process for my CD the next day as a result, it left me drained as I was up with only six or so hours sleep.

This most of all has contributed to feelings of stress like those I felt last year during what was probably the worst year of my life, and as I noticed patterns in how I felt when I woke up each morning this week, it was the reminder of painful moments of this time last year in particular that left me wanting to return to my slumber.

However, I have completed editing for the whole of my CD for my major project, and with my sound engineer mixing the last piece as we speak, it is looking like I will be able to send things off for duplication hopefully tomorrow, if not Tuesday. Then it will be the race against the clock to have them back and ready for Thursday’s launch event.

So as I have mentioned, I had my first stewarding shift at the Conservatoire on Thursday. As I made my way to college in my blacks, ready and eager to face the challenges, I also felt quite a sense of nerves, as I can’t say I’m good at tasks that require common sense. This has definitely improved over the years, particularly last year, but Thursday the self doubt struck (as well as bad signal), and not the most convincing ability to use a walkie talkie left me not in the good books of my super frustrating, as the signal was bad so I couldn’t decipher everything that was being said and equally I couldn’t communicate as what was required, but of course when someone else came to take over it was fine.

Stupid walkie talkies. I blame them. Well, mostly.

I’m just really hoping my shifts this week are better. I’ll try and make them so.

Friday night was a beautiful affair: although it wasn’t ideal after quite a long day to be out the flat for even longer than expected, it was admittedly worth it for sitting in another exhilarating CBSO rehearsal: this time a joint project with the CBSO and University of Birmingham Choruses on Walton’s utterly brilliant Belshazzar’s Feast, conducted by John Wilson.

Wow, Simon Rattle last week; John Wilson this week: I am pretty lucky.

Once the conductor had recognised that I was just an observer and not the mysterious cor anglais player (there isn’t a part) and my earplugs were in, I was able to be immersed in the music that I had studied as part of my A Levels, but now in a completely different way. As I sat with the oboes, I was taken on a great journey from the rather ominous opening to the dynamic ending, and all the little interjections in between. Wilson’s conducting was with the music and made for some truly exciting moments: I couldn’t help but bob along.

I wish I had bobbed less though with my tea in the break: a pop up snake video the principal cellist showed me and the second oboist made me spill a considerable amount and let out a scream from the jump. I was definitely the laughing stock of that break!

I literally daren’t watch it again.

That’s pretty much all I can remember for this week; I’m now going to try and settle my nerves for tomorrow’s audition by looking out the window at the beautiful Sunday evening sky above Paris (apparently that’s where we are right now, although some annoying child has shut the window so who knows, we could be in Liberia for all I know), and think about the food I’m going to have and piccies I’m going to take after.

But yes, tomorrow’s a big one: my Master’s audition for Geneva. Pretty much my dream place to study next year: my hopes are not high but I really am going to give it all I’ve got and hopefully the fear of playing to serious players in the profession and, moreso, at the moment, speaking French when my abilities here can only be described as ‘pauvre’, won’t get to me. There’ll be a way round it, and I’ve just got to focus on the playing.

Yes, it’s going to be fine, and out of it I get a day in an idyllic city.

Even though all I want right now is to be home watching depressing Netflix shows with cookies and vanilla sundae tea and my boy Cameron.

Ah well, that time will come again quickly!

I suppose I’ll see you on the other side!

T