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A ball boy or ball girl[nb 1] is a person who retrieves balls for players or officials in tennis, association football, baseball, and other sports. Typically, ball boys and girls are adolescent-aged children.
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Tennis
Required skills
A ball boy or girl must learn many skills to enable them to carry out their job properly.
Rolling
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A roll may seem like something simple at first, but the rolls which ball boys and girls should produce must be flat, straight and fast. As they roll they lunge forward, and send a ball down the court. These rolls should be carried out in quick succession.
Feeding
Feeding is the term used to describe how the ball boys and girls give tennis balls to the players. Only bases feed balls. At different tournaments they use different techniques for feeding; at some tournaments bases have both arms in the air then feed the balls with one arm and at others they have one arm in the air which they feed the balls with the other behind their back. When feeding the ball, they must also be aware of a player's preference. Most players accept the standard; which is for the ball boy or girl to gently toss the ball (from the position with their arms extended upwards) such that it bounces one time then to the proper height for the player to catch the ball easily.
Hiring
There are various methods for selecting the ball boys and girls for a tournament. In many tournaments, such as The Championships, Wimbledon and Queen's Club Championships, they are picked from or apply through schools, where they are selected by tournaments and they have to go through a number of selections and tests.[1] In some other tournaments, such as the Nottingham Open, Australian Open and the US Open,[2] positions are advertised and there are open try-outs.
Applicants are required to pass a physical ability assessment. In addition to fitness and stamina, the abilities to concentrate and remain alert are essential.
Notes
- ^ Merriam–Webster's Collegiate Dictionary lists ball boy and ball girl, but the spellings ballboy, ball-boy, ballgirl, and ball-girl are frequently seen. On occasion, the gender-neutral terms ball person (e.g. at the US Open) and (rarely) ball kid are used.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ball boys and girls |
- ^ Official Site About Wimbledon - Behind the scenes, Ball boys and ball girls.
- ^ Official Site United States Tennis Association - 2009 US Open Ballperson Tryouts.
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