My very first pair of tennis shoes were pink. I had just made the transition where I was too old to be wearing Twinkle Toes and was forced to wear normal shoes that didn’t light up when I walked around. I thought shoes like that were pretty much useless. My mom let me pick out the shoes I wanted but she told me that they had to be tennis shoes since I had just started playing tennis. I didn’t understand the difference between the shoes I wanted and the shoes that were made for the sport that I love. Then again, I was only seven. I picked out the thing that seemed closest to the sparkley light-up shoes that I adored, and ended up with these neon pink and white Nike shoes. My mom was satisfied, and I endured the monstrosities until the spring, which was when I started my tennis season.

When i stepped on court, something felt different. I definitely seemed to have some sort of “pep in my step” when I started playing. I could run longer distances without my feet getting sore, and I could change directions more quickly without falling and almost breaking my neck. I hated to admit it, but my shoes improved me.

When I’m on the tennis court, everything matters. I need to be comfortable in order for my performance to be good, and my shoes are a big part of that. That switch between regular girly running shoes to slightly more advanced tennis shoes changed my life. When I was seven, I never thought that I would win anything when it came to tennis, but here I am, with over 7 trophies and 14 medals just for this sport. I never would’ve thought that my switch from Skechers to Nike would make such a difference.