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A ball boy
or ball girl
[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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BALLBOY TICKETS
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Tennis
Different roles
Ball boys or girls are either
nets
(sometimes referred to as
centres
) or
bases
. On each
tennis court there are four bases and two nets.
The bases stand at each corner of the court. Their job is to retrieve balls that have been hit out-of-play, then if the player is in need of a ball, the ball boy or girl should show all the balls they currently have in their hands. If none, they should show their empty hands. The nets crouch by the edge of the net, usually one on each side.
The nets usually kneel together just off the end of the net. Each one waits for a ball to hit the net. When the ball is dead and the point is technically over, the ball boy or girl that is on that side of the net jumps up, runs onto the court, and retrieves the ball to his or her
home
position. When it is safe to do so (meaning they will not interrupt play) they roll the ball to the nearest base.
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.
[2] In some other tournaments, such as the
Nottingham Open,
Australian Open and the
US Open,
[3] 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.
Wimbledon
thumb.
Category:Wikipedia articles needing style editing {{#if:July 2009
Pupils are first selected by their PE teachers in selected schools, and then have to be selected by Wimbledon. In fact, there are many stages of training
[vague] where several people are dismissed and are no longer required for training.
The week before Wimbledon, the ball boys and girls are given their uniform and have a session of grass training, as the grass surface is very different from the hard court surface on which they they usually train. The grass slows down their rolling by a considerable amount.
[vague]
Ball boys and girls are also dismissed on the second Thursday or Friday of Wimbledon, as there are not many courts open towards the end of the Championships. Those who stay are the best three or four teams required on court for the finals, and those who are in the guard of honour. Those in the guard of honour are the ones who were not very capable (the worst) and stay because they had not had a chance on a good court. The guard of honour are the line of ball boys and girls the players walk through in the final.
Notes
References
- ''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.
- Official Site About Wimbledon - Behind the scenes, Ball boys and ball girls.
- Official Site United States Tennis Association - 2009 US Open Ballperson Tryouts.