They stand there, still as a statue, until suddenly they burst into a run, flailing arms and ponytails until they swoop down to get the ball, and return to the sidelines where they become statues again instantaneously. It is not as easy as it looks. According to another web page, there were 300 youth (and a few adults) who participated in a grueling 2 month try-out for 70 spots. They have to have the "stealth of a ninja, the speed of a cheetah, and the heat tolerance of a cactus." And what if there were no ball boys/girls? Can you imagine Frederer chasing after his own ball? I hope they never go on strike!
We were watching a great game just a few benches up when I was trying to figure out how they know who is going after the ball. It seems they just have some sort of intuition. But then, during the intensity of a close match, I saw it--two ball kids almost collided!
"Did you see that, Jay!"
"Of course! That was an amazing serve!"
"No, the ball boy almost ran into the ball girl going for the same ball!"
"Oh...good." (He never even moved his eyes away from the match.)
Well, I guess they will continue to go unappreciated. At least as long as there are tennis players to watch instead.
