Unknown Roll of Ball Boys and Ball Girls

Ball Kids Wake Up the French Open



If you've ever been to any official ball games, you could have seen some boys and girls offering balls to players. Today I would like to talk about the children job to the French Open which is one of the biggest tennis competitions and required to get for the most honor award called "Grand Slam".


The children between 12 and 16 years old line up outside Court No. 1 before the gates open to the public. When a couple of older ones at the front of the lines shout French words, the children start running down the brick path singing a song. It is a simple song, only three choruses divided by a simple refrain. It is a melody borrowed from the football team in the film “Remember the Titans”, but the words are all original. The song serves as the wake-up call each morning for the French Open.


However still the song-and-run is not a whole job they have. Their main mission is to chase ball rolling along the edges of the court silently, and dutifully offer balls and towels to the players. Furthermore, they are required being efficient, silent and invisible during the game.


The ball boys and girls, chosen from about 2,500 applicants around the country, fill part of the upper stands at Court No. 1 to hear manager's announcement. Once their names are called, they have spent weeks training to get used to their missions.


I didn't know that it was that difficult to become the ball kids and the mission required such a high skill. Somehow we need to see them from a different view point with the respect from now on.