The Deuce Club, 11.13

By Jackie, TW Social Director

Good evening, TWibe! Just as I did last week, I thought I'd start off with some tennis commentary in honor of the year-end championships. (By the way, a hearty congratulations goes out to Venus Williams. The woman is amazing.)

In 2008, the ATP provided enough thrills to last a lifetime - and we thought the women had a tumultuous year! We saw Federer lose the #1 position – which, at some points during his reign, seemed an impossibility – to Nadal, who had as superlative a season as any in recent memory. He grabbed titles left and right, including the Roland Garros and Wimbledon trophies. Federer struggled this year (by his standards), stemming from his battle with mono, but redemption came in the form of Olympic gold in doubles and a U.S. Open title. No writing him off just yet!

Djokovic began the season with a bang, winning the Australian Open, then seemed to buckle under the pressure of his elevated status. And of course, there was all that controversy - who doesn't remember the "Be quiet, okay?!" episode in Monte Carlo or the injury fiasco in New York? And now Murray is among the elite and threatens to seriously shake things up at the top of the ranks.

The year saw a number of young guns burst onto the scene, like Tsonga and del Potro (and Cilic, Gulbis, and Nishikori, to a lesser degree). Gilles “I mentally bench press 1000 pounds every match” Simon also emerged as a key player (thanks for the nickname, Andrew!). And guys like Gasquet still made us shake our heads.

I'm foaming at the mouth for 2009. Will Rafa remain #1 or will he relinquish the spot ... and if so, to whom? Will TMF surpass Sampras in the record books? Who will break through and who will stumble?  Whatever happens, I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun.

Wait, isn't this supposed to be our OT thread? Time to switch gears.

My sister Elizabeth is in town for a visit, and I'm thoroughly enjoying our time together. Though we share similar values, our careers couldn't be more different. She’s a concert pianist - quite the departure from your typical 9-5. I work in market research, which is a 9-5.

I’m envious of her lifestyle, as I often wonder what it would be like to have your passion serve as your profession. I'm reminded of the idea not only when I'm with my sister but when I watch tennis. While tennis players have to reckon with an arduous schedule, injuries, and pressure from coaches/media/fans, they're pretty privileged, if only because they're able to do something they enjoy - that they'd do for fun, presumably - and make money for it.

When I was a child, I told everyone my dream was to be a cellist. Years later, “cellist” was replaced with “talk show host,” “actress,” or “singer.” I always imagined myself being a part of the entertainment industry, since I’m a pop culture fanatic and a total ham (I love performing!).

I thought about becoming a Hannah Storm type, too, considering my love for sports. Any sport would’ve sufficed, though wrestling was always at the forefront; I fantasized about commentating matches or working behind the scenes with the superstar 'rasslers as an employee for the then-WWF.

Among all of my dream vocations, the one that came closest to fruition was actually “voiceover artist.” I have quite a distinct voice - deep and smooth - and public speaking was always a forte. It seemed natural, then, that I should pursue voiceover work. When I was in grad school, I volunteered to help out at a couple of radio stations on campus, reading literary pieces on one and ads on another. Then, after meeting with a voiceover coach, who described my voice as having an “outstanding professional and intelligent sound – almost like a news anchor," I decided to make a voiceover demo.

Sitting in an airless recording booth, with giant headphones engulfing my head and a microphone pop filter staring me in the face, I felt … at home. I read a variety of narrations and ads and tried new inflections, tones, and tempos for each, heeding tips from the producer. The entire process was so exhilarating I didn’t want it to end!

I was pleased with the end result but have yet to put that demo to use. Since I devote so much of my time to my actual job, it’s difficult to pursue any outside endeavors (aside from TW Social Director, that is!).

Still, my dreams haven’t lost any steam, and I’m hoping that someday, they might become a reality.

I solicited some of your thoughts in the “Dream Job” discussion topic in our TennisWorld > Real WorldFacebook group several weeks ago and now want to extend the question to everyone in the TWibe: If you could do anything or be anything, what would it be? Have you come close to realizing these dreams at all or are they “pie in the sky” notions? (Even if you participated in the Facebook discussion, feel free to share again!)

P.S. If there's interest, I'll post a link to my voiceover demo in next week's DC. :)