Sitting in the cramped bleacher seats, I realized it was my first professional tournament. Wait a minute...it was my first tennis tournament to attend professional or not. Even though the seating was designed for smaller people and my knee caps were touching my chin, it was enjoyable to watch the pros show off their talents. No cell phones or talking were permitted during serves. At one point, a spectator's cell phone began ringing and the British tennis player stopped his serve and looked at the person in the stands until the phone was silenced. The only other interesting thing that happened during the match was that a Russian player's tennis shoes came apart somehow. He was escorted back to the locker room in order to lace up a new pair of sneakers.
The government desires for this country to become more involved with professional sports by being enthusiastic supports, players, and spectators. To ensure the involvement of the people, most major sporting events are FREE to the public. That's right. FREE. No charge for the tennis open, the golf masters, or other sporting events. Even when they held regional games, the tickets were sold for a fraction of the price compared to other international competitions in the region. One downfall of tickets being FREE is that they work like many airlines in that they give out more tickets for a match than will the stadium will hold. C and I did not know this as we gained tickets for a 2nd evening of tennis. Our friends were able to make it inside the stadium, but C and I were turned away along with nearly 100 other hopeful spectators at the entrance gates. I was completely bummed walking back to the car.
On a positive note, C encountered a group of his students in the sports complex on our way out. They swarmed around him and told him about playing between matches. His students are amazing! Any time we have seen them outside of the academy they make a bee-line to talk with Mr. C. I just stand in the background and say a phrase or two of thanks to our Father for the opportunities he is having with his students.
