New Tennis Club members. Fantastic enthusiasm. Pro and legendary coaching. Practices, drills. Tournaments. Leagues. Oh my! That adds up to a lot of competitive fun! This is the only way to develop a great tennis player. More often than not, as with golfing, tennis development starts with saying the words, “I’m in.” In The Villages tennis community, the “I’m in”s are continually developing. Just as soon as the pandemic lifted I said I’m in, walked into a Tennis Club Open House and subsequent Jumpstart program with my long basketball shorts and basketball shoes and a 30 year old aluminum racket? Why? Because there is no basketball here at The Villages, but I still wanted to play an active sport. Hardly a match played in my life, I knew nothing about tennis.
At a bump over 60, here I am developing what I had believed was a young athlete’s sport. At Open House Peggy Siedel, Sharon Benz, and Betty Olsen talked to a big group of new tennis club players for a few minutes, then they introduced Villager pro Brett Foreman to the new club members. I can’t remember all he spoke about, but what I do remember was his words “I’ve played with them all, the best and the beginners. I’ve coached them all, the best and the beginners.” Really? Then if I hadn’t cemented my “I’m all in”, then it was done right there on the spot! If a pro is going to take time with me, then he’s got to be really patient.
I began with taking lessons from Brett, going and swinging my racket at Jumpstart gatherings with big names like Mike Tuft, Gail Tuft, Roy Pennington, Peggy Siedel, Sharon Benz and others, oh my! The talent blew my mind. These players are really good. Lolivic Shaw would call wanting me in a match (she’s a USTA rated player and I wasn’t) and I accepted her challenges. Then I started playing in Villages tournaments and matches with so many Villagers. Matches, practices, lessons, enthusiasm, more practices, more matches, you get the picture. Now, with the support of all the tennis club players I’m hoping the wave from basketball to tennis. But one thing was still missing, the competitive level play (for myself and many new tennis club members) with outside USTA ranked players.
So in the spring of this year I gathered the help of assistant coach Marty Funcell and Brett Foreman to start a new Villager USTA 6.5 team so that us young (to tennis) players could begin play in nationally ranked matches. Off to a new start we put together a long summer of Round Robin Matches for training our new team, the first of its kind at the Villages. It was the missing gap in the USTA challenge matches the Villages often fields every year, as the competitive mix of club members now engages youths (that’s us!) at various levels.
The Villages new Men’s 6.5 team is now a vision come true, as we are currently in the upper standings of our current USTA league! The team players are currently enjoying a new venue, and some have joined the competitive matches for their first time ever with this new team! As an example of our high level of play, new tennis club player Jayme Dickson last week entered his second ever nationally ranked match, and played head-to-toe against an opponent who has played over 600 nationally ranked matches! He very nearly came away with a victory in the Tiebreaker! That is an incredible feat, Jayme! Kudos to you.
Come and join the Villages Tennis Club, as you will enjoy many great matches and you will most definitely meet a large group of really nice tennis players who will be guaranteed to play at your level! You will have all the support you need to exceed your own expectations in your new game!
