My Favorite Thing...

My favorite thing about Russell Klassen is his two-handed forehand.

That may seem weird, but let me explain.

Nobody in the world (except for his brother Wes) uses a two-handed forehand. It's not taught in any schools of tennis, it would be the first thing tossed out if Russell ever took lessons, and it drives tennis coaches crazy.

But not me. Because I realized something early on with Russell. He was good at that two-handed forehand and he knew it. He could pound it down-the-line at somebody's chest in doubles. He could stretch with it to keep balls in play. He could pound it crosscourt and dominate a crosscourt battle. He could even change the grip a bit and chip and slice it when needed.

He had a "weapon" and he knew how to use it to his advantage.

But really, I'm just using the two-handed forehand as a metaphor for what I really love about Russell. I love that he is comfortable with who he is, and isn't afraid to be that in front of everyone. Just like his two-handed forehand, he didn't hide his personality from the team. He is fun-loving and funny. He is extroverted like crazy. He was the most memorable person on all of our trips to Pizza King, Ruby Tuesday's, etc.

He is Russell, and I'm finding that that is hard to describe. Energetic, care-free, winning, goofy, and many other things. He's just Russell, and he's okay with that.