I love early July for the Wimbledon on the telly. I drift in and out, checking on the score, and as a fair-weather sports fan I only sit and watch properly when it's a really big or exciting match. When Boris Becker appeared today to commentate, I took the opportunity to educate and inspire my daughter by telling her about one of the greatest sporting legends of all time:ME: "See him? He WON the WHOLE of Wimbledon when he was JUST 17!!"
GIRL: "He hasn't got any eyebrows"
ME: "Yes he has. But listen. He was only 17 - and he was a champion!!"
GIRL: "Why hasn't he got any eyebrows?"
ME: "He has, they're just very pale. It was amazing ... I was only 17 myself, and this guy ..."
GIRL: "Please can I have a biscuit?"
***** sigh ***** I really don't know why I bother.
My son, now aged 39, used to get very annoyed when I used to say the same sort of thing. I used to say look at Boris - he is a couple of years younger than you and he has already won Wimbledon. My son was a good sports player and I could see his lip curl!
ReplyDeleteGBS are you writing a book then? Have I missed something? Do tell all blogthatmamax
ReplyDeleteL, Know what you mean - you definitely need to steer clear of that comparison thing. Luckily my girl's still only 8!
ReplyDeleteBTM, No! Not quite sure what that was all about. I think she meant when I've written about it on my blog!
Hi GBS! Thanks for your comment on my blog - Wee Murdo really does come out with some cracking lines. I need to give him a post all to himself. Love your attitude to tennis btw, I drift in and out too, almost to scared to watch from behind the sofa when Murray is playing. I remember when Virginia Wade won in 1977 - I couldn't believe it was really true.
ReplyDeleteTrying to explain Bjorn Borg and wooden racquets (or is it rackets) to my kids exhausted me today!
ReplyDeleteChildren tell it as it is!
ReplyDeleteUs kids, WE JUST DON'T GET IT.
ReplyDeleteA little known fact about Lindsay the Rural Villager - she beat Virginia Wade as a schoolgirl. But for her wonky knees (first knee "went" on the tennis court), she might have "been there and done that" at Wimbledon. Good on ya, Sis and G'day from Oz.
ReplyDeleteAt our school Speech Day on Tuesday the speaker was Sharron Davies. The kids didn't know who she was. She changed a story from 'Gary Player' to 'Tiger Woods' so the kids would get it. The dads enjoyed Speech Day though, wonder why?!
ReplyDeleteHaha! The girl has a point!
ReplyDeleteLol, i get this from my youngest all the time! You think your talking about something really important and interestin and they just don't want to know! Even worse when they asked about it in the first place, then just switch off half way through your in depth explanation.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like only yesterday that Boom Boom Becker took SW19 by storm.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, though, he underachieved. He won Wimbledon three times and lost in the final four times. He should have won more but he lost his way a bit with all the media attention.
Children are smart-they are still very aware of the obvious - not by the illusion - adults are fixated on illusions of what could be while children are fixated on what is - and what is is the lack of eyebrow. Boris is playing a role - his eyebrows play no role - they just are... Foster this talent...
ReplyDeleteI spend most of my life wondering why I bother.
ReplyDeleteI think Boris is an acquired taste. I appreciate him more now than I used to.
ReplyDeleteKnow what you mean -I had one of those 'I feel so old' moments the other day on reading that Andy Murray was born in 1987 - by that point I was already a hormonal teenager lusting over Stefan Edberg (sorry, never liked Boris though...)
ReplyDeleteWonderful! And completely agree about Wimbledon - I love these two weeks, but just get frustrated I keep having to go and do something kids related just at the crucial points or during the best matches of the tournament (and when I'm not having to run around it's always rained off!) Love Boris Becker too (can never forget the Kensington Cupboard incident), but Girl has a point about the eyebrows...what I notice these days is how he's always narrowing and flaring his eyes when he listens and responds to questions. Did you see him on The One Show last night? Scary looking children, apart from his little girl who is a complete mini Boris!
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Ps: picked up a copy of Little Tigers the other day - went specially to Sainsbury's in Macc to get it to see what you used to be involved with! Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteI was in the press box, watching him win against Kevin Curren.
ReplyDeleteIt was the only time in Wimbledon history that the men's champion was younger than the boys' champion!!