ProAm

I had the opportunity last week to play in a pro-am event to benefit the petoskey community tennis courts.  What a fun local fundraising events with 8 teams, kids events and lots of community out to watch and support the event.

My partner was the local h.s. coach John Boyer who played for Alma college. He,has a big serve and great net game, always in place and covering the court well.  He carried us the first set, with big serves and putaway volleys.
I held my own, and  I played well the first set, so-so the second, and then out my mind during the 3rd 8 game pro set.  Everything was clickin, returns were rockin, angled and dtl volleys winning points and my serve damm near perfect. I was kicking serves, then banged 3 aces down the T on the ad side, amd against a young guy who plays Div. 1 college tennis.  I think the score was 8-3, & we finished 3rd in a really solid group of players. 
Fun tennis!

Real Tennis Network site... very cool!

Check this out.....   very cool new site and http://realtennisnetwork.com/

The site includes:

1. A Daily Video “Quick Tip” on a broad area of topics that I have put out on my own or from questions that have been asked from you.

2. Weekly Audio Podcast where I interview Experts from all around the world on how you can improve your game. So far I have:

Roy Emerson (28 Grand Slam Titles.  Only player ever to win all 4 in singles and doubles))

Emilio Sanchez (Formerly Ranked #1 in the world ATP Doubles and has the largest tennis Academy in Europe)

Andy Fitzell (One of the countries leading researchers in stroke technique talks about myths in technique)

Peter Burwash (Davis Cup player for Canada, Professional Coach and Owner of PBI International – 5 star Tennis Resorts)

Jorge Capestany (PTR and USPTA Master Professional wrote the “On Court Guide to Tennis Strategy” (we talk about how to beat a team that plays one up and one back and a steady baseliner).

More already recorded and ready to go

3. Video Instruction where I get deeper into specific subjects that YOU are specifically looking to learn more about though my own knowledge and other experts.

Nagging Injuries

Somehow I've hurt my ankles to where I cannot play.  It is the outside of my left foot, under the ankle bone, and extending up my Achilles a bit.   Icing helps, but I'm taking the week off of tennis to recoup.  I wonder if it was my new shoes not being quite right for me, or the running shoes I bought in florida and have only put about 10 miles on so far, or a combination of the two.  I'm thinking of switching shoes.. which I hate to do with only a couple weeks on the new. I'm looking for something more durable, and with decent padding/support.  The Yonex shoes look the best on paper, but only one pair has a warrantee...I might order and try them on, otherwise I'll go back to my Prince T22's although I want to see if a different kind of shoe would help with my sore knees.

I guess this is a good chance for my arm to rest too... my wrist has been sore since I jammed it, and my inner elbow tendon has been sore for a long time.  I was hoping switching racquets would alleviate that, but only time will tell.  I wonder if the new racquet has anything to do with my sore wrist. (what a drag it is getting old!)

USTA League, weekend 1

I was invited to play on a men's 4.0 USTA team this season and the first round of matches was a lot of fun.  Our team won 3 matches, and lost the last one to Traverse City, with 4 of the 5 matches going into a 3rd set tie breaker.  I played 3 doubles matches, and we won 2 of them.   Most important to me, I kept CALM and played well.

First match I played with a new partner and we pulled off a close one 6-4, 6-7, 10-3 in the t.b.  I probably shouldn't have switched rackets before this weekend, I struggled on my serve and return, but everything else was working fine.

Second match was not so close, another new partner but we played well together... winning it 6-3, 6-2.  My returns were really ripping and volleys were on the money.   My only struggle was consistency on my serve... I remember double faulting 4 times in one game, but hitting a couple of service winners and my partner keeping us in on the other points to win that game.

The last match I got to play with my original partner from Saturday, but the match was a struggle. A struggle to keep calm especially the first set,  and struggle to win points and games.  We started out on the right foot, getting ahead 40-30 on my serve.  I hit what looked like a winner, catching the inside of the line on a volley but the guys on the other team called it out.  My partner couldn't believe it, but we didn't say anything to them about it, its their call after all.  I also don't think it was intentional. He was looking at the side line and sometimes a ball on the line can appear out from that angle... but it was in.   Unfortunately, I let this bother me instead of letting it go and we dropped my serve. This game was followed by a series of BOMB serves from the young guy on the other team. I haven't seen serves like this at the 4.0 level.  It took me most of the first game to get used to it but then I started rocketing them back more often than not. My partner took most of the first set to get used to the pace and getting enough of them back to break... finally allowing us to get some momentum.   We played really well at the end of the 2nd set. Everything was working for me including my first serve. We carried on strong into the set tiebreaker and blazed ahead 5-0 in the t.b, winning it 7-2.  Unfortunately, the momentum didn't carry all the way through the 3rd set t.b., and we lost a close one 10-7.  I double faulted once in tie break, made a few unforced errors towards the end but they hit some great shots to win it.

Results available here:  USTA TENNISLINK

Shoes

When I started back in tennis a year ago, I bought some cheap Nike's and had problems with ankle roll over. I tried on a bunch of shoes, and found the Prince t22s to be very comfortable, but I've gone through 4-5 pairs in the last year by wearing holes in the toe (not from toe drag, just from regular play).   So, I tried on a few pairs of shoes. I tried a Nike,  Asics, the Adidas Baricade but none of them really fit me right.  The Adidas Baricade had too much arch for me.  I settled on a pair of Babolat Propulse 4 and am hoping that they will last longer. I've been wearing them for a couple of weeks now. They are much stiffer, and narrower up front but they fit ok.  I've had a couple of rubs and a blister after the first weekend of play, but nothing really wrong.

Interestingly, I had some pain under my knee caps off and on and this seems to have diminished.  I havent reduced my time on the court at all. However, it seems like the outside of these is lower, and I find my ankles sore after a couple hours of play, and the top of the shoe rubs on my ankle a bit but maybe this is just because they are new.

May 8:
I have abandoned the Babolat shoes.  My ankles ended up so sore I could hardly walk, and had to take a week off of tennis.  I went back to an old pair of my T22's, and my ankles were fine.  Maybe it wasn't the shoes, and just an injury... but I never had ankle problems before and that was right where these were pressing on my feet.

Alas, my T22's have holes in them, and I want to try another shoe to see how it affects me and how it lasts. After reading reviews, and talking to tennis warehouse about it, I ordered a pair of Yonex Powercushion D's and they fit great right out of the box. They are noticeably lighter than my T22's. I wore them yesterday for 2 hours, a lesson and singles match (although my singles match was under an hour.. i won the 2nd set in 16 minutes) and didn't notice that I had new shoes on... The are VERY soft under my feet. My ankles and knees didn't and still don't hurt. My knees are not sore under the knee caps where they usually get sore. I know this is only 1 outing, but so far I'm really happy with these shoes. This evening will be a better test as I'm playing competitive doubles, and we have a usta match next weekend where I'll play 3 matches.

I'll post back regarding how the comfort is long term, how they hold up, and if I need the warranty how it is handled by Yonex/TW.

New rackets...Yonex VCORE Tour G (310)

I switched rackets last week, and couldn't be happier with my new Yonex VCORE Tour G (310).  The vcore has a great feel, is quick and precise at the net, flexible and still packs a punch on ground strokes and serves.

Before this, I had been using the babolat aero pro drive which was stiffer with lots of power when you hit the sweet spot... but anything off the sweet spot felt like hitting the ball with a board and vibrated right up my arm.   I was looking to switch to something a bit more flexible, with a bigger sweet spot  and of course easier on my arm.  I was leary to switch and give up any performance that I thought my racket provided.   I read a lot of reviews, researched the technology and demoed a good variety of racket models, sizes and weights (including the vcore 330) but right away the 310 felt the best.

The Yonex absolutely has a bigger sweet spot.  Off center hits don't vibrate as badly or feel so stiff, especially at the top of the racket.  I also think that the Yonex gives me good power when I swing hard but with more control. It has excellent feel and precision for punch and touch volleys.   Most importantly, it doesn't hurt my arm! I played a drill Friday morning with the babolat, and my arm hurt afterwards to where I had to ice it down.  Saturday I played 2 doubles matches, and Sunday a singles and doubles match... my arm felt fine and I was hammering serves right into the 3rd set tie breaker in the final match with no problem.  My elbow had no pain the next day, but as I played through the week I did get some soreness... so its not a silver bullet but I hope combined with some softer strings it will help.


 Looking at the technology, Yonex really did a great job with the engineering to make this so.  Check it out:  http://www.yonex.com/products/tennis/racquets/vcore-series/vcore-tour-g (click on Product Technology about half way down the page)   The YONEX ISOMETRIC_TM design explains the extended sweet spot, the 3D "VECTOR SHAFT" provides a stiff backbone to remove any twist. The shaft uses Neo CS Carbon Nanotube technology for flexibility, increased spin and control, and even the grip helps reduce vibration on your wrist, elbow and shoulder.

The change was easy for everything but serves.   When I first tried the vcore demo for a doubles match I played great, ripping service returns and placing touch volleys right where I wanted them to go.  I found it quicker, and there fore easier to react quickly at the net... (The specs say 10.9 unstrung... almost the same as my old racket... but I think it is much more head light, or at least feels that way!) .  My only real struggle with the racket change was on my serve, for two reasons.  The flexibility causes it to sit on the strings just a bit longer, which takes some getting used to.  Also, my timing was off at first as the new  racket comes around faster than my old one.  I should have probably hit with it more, and waited to start playing matches with the new racket, but I was excited to use it so I jumped right into USTA match play.  I was missing a lot of serves the first match. I double faulted 4 times in one game (although we actually won that game!) ... when my server was going in, it was really ripping.  My kick seemed to be a bit higher, and it felt like I was getting more power on flat serves from the 'bounce' on the strings.  To solve this, between matches I went into a racket ball court and hit my serve the same way about 100 times.  This seemed to help me with my timing, and the last match of the USTA weekend I hit some great serves and only double faulted a few times... no more than normal... and by the end of the match my serves were really working well.

note after a few weeks... I still dont feel that I get the same precision on my serves as I did with a tightly strung babolat, but it's worth the tradeoff.

C.A.L.M.

  In order to enjoy the game more, and to play better.   My current ambition in tennis is to keep my cool, not get frustrated and get rid of my temper on the court (and off?).  Basically to keep CALM, yet remain intense and focused.    Driving with my daughter Lily back and forth to the school and club we came up with a few acronyms...  Some letters have a few words, so take your pick and use what works for you.
C.A.L.M.

Concentrate
Focus on what's in front of you... the ball.  See it early watch the spin, seams or letters.

Attitude
   Positive & relaxed attitude.
     Adrenaline
         Use the adrenaline when you feel it and put it into the ball.

Let it go
...of  the last point, of frustration, negativity anger, tension, fear) Forget about mistakes and keep hitting
     Loosen up
         Exhale, relax your grip arm and body and let it do what it knows how to do.

Motivate
  and Move your feet
Motivation to win and play your best.  Move your feet to let off nervous energy and get your body ready for the next shot.


I was actually able to use this last night in a match.  I caught myself getting frustrated an berating myself, getting down in game on my serve 15-30 due to mistakes.  I went through the first part of CALM in my mind and was able to take a breath, let it go and focus on hitting a good serve. Calm and focused won the next 3 points on service winners and a nice volley to go up 2-1 in the second set.   This was the difference in wining/losing the set as I broke his serve for the first time the very next game to go up 3-1.  
   It was a tough match for me.   I was most happy with the fact that I was able to play more consistently than my ususal singles matches.  I ended up winning 6-7, 6-3, 10-7 ...  coming back in the tie break from 1-4.   I stayed with my strategy even when I missed some easy shots, and really enjoyed the game.

Dad, you make bad decisions when you are angry...

"Dad, you make bad decisions when you are angry... "  -Lily.
                        (This after I smacked the side of the TV 'fonzie' style to get it working.)

Ain't that the truth?.  Another one of these life/tennis parallels.

Get frustrated, get angry, holler or throw/smash something.  The TV doesn't work right, I want to to smack it. Cant hit a volley or groundstroke I have the urge is to yell about it, or worse bang/chuck my racket.   I've never totally gotten over this urge. I tend to direct against things or myself and not other people, although I'm sure they pick up on it. Nobody wants to play tennis with a hothead, and no one wants to put up with this in a any kind of relationship.  I've never struck anyone in anger... although I must admit my tennis rackets have always taken a bit of abuse and  they have built up a few frequent flyer miles with a good bird's eye view of the court.

Worst case example was this winter when Diane got her car stuck in a ditch and got out when it was running and in gear.. the VW automatically locks the doors when it's in gear and there is no way to open it.  I so wanted to take my truck and snow plow and ram the vw so far into the snowbank that we wouldn't see it again til spring if ever.... I was able to resist the (stupid) urge, but clear thinking? good decision?  not so much.
Playing singles one Sunday against one of the better players at the club. I was serving and rallying ok, but I couldn't hit a winner in the court to save my life.  I missed half a dozen overheads, not to mention putting every volley and approach shot out in the alley, net or long.  Most club players have days like this ( I played another guy weds who had the same unfortunate level of play as I had on Sunday, I just kept the ball in play until he missed )  but I just continued to force the issue and play aggressively, maybe even MORE aggressively... fueled by my anger to banging flat serves to his strong forehand side, and playing right into his steady game.  How's that working for ya??  Not so good.  I need a mechanism to not get angry about mistakes, and then to get back from the boil over point... if that's possible. The smart thing to do is let it go right away.  The Inner Game of Tennis teaches not to judge every shot as good or bad, but it happens so quickly the logic just isn't there.

  I play my best tennis when calm and focused with a bit of urgency and adrenaline coursing through my veins.   Anger does my game no good.The inner game of tennis talks about this.. and I know it.  Thursday we played doubles, and I was frustrated with my game but keeping my temper in check until I hit an obvious ace up the middle that got called out. I was able to walk it off, take a breath and let it go.  The result was a decent second serve, followed by a good first serve the next point without any anger 'banging'.  Bad calls happen, bad shots happen.. its how you react to them and remember them that matters.

The "BOB" tournament

    What a blast this weekend at THE BOB tournament in Traverse City.  The weekend was full of good tennis, with 203 teams entered. This tournament is also a scholarship fundraiser for kids across Northern Michigan, organized by the "Bob Swanson Scholarship Fund".    The organizers did a great job getting the matches on, and off the courts quickly, and making it a really fun event!  The Grand Traverse Resort is really nice, lots of amenities like an outdoor whirlpool (which I used Saturday after match play to soak my sore muscles) despite the cold wind whipping around!).  Great spot for a weekend getaway.  I just wish my family could have joined me for such a nice getaway.

   I played in the 8.5 men's doubles with Bill Brown and the 8.5 mixed doubles with Dree Lo.  I'm lucky to find good partners, and we played some good tennis, going 1 loss/1 win in each division.
 Bill and I lost our first match to the guys who won the TC club tournament, both really good players. We could have probably played better the first set, but held our own the 2nd.  We won our consolation match... which was more mixed up than anything else but we played fairly well, Bill served really well and played good net to carry us in the first set and my serve was really on.

  Dree and I lost to the 4th seeds, in a match I think we should have taken or at least won the 2nd set after being up 5-3.  There were some really good points in that 2nd set, and our opponents were really nice and fun to play with.  Lots of close points at the end, but I'm still not sure how we dropped it.  I know I choked away an important point serving at 5-4 with a double fault totally because of nerves, but I think I got my head under control and served well the rest of the game, it just didn't fall our way.
Tournaments and pressure do funny things to people's heads and game.  I found my self frustrated quickly, and I played really streaky... playing one point well then just missing easy shots. My serve was about the only consistent part of my game.  The teams I watched that did well in the tournament hit some nice shots, but simply didn't miss as much and played more points the same whereas my game was hit or miss.
    I could return lots of difficult serves with pace and spin, but had trouble with the returning the "easy" ones. Too many ended up in the net or long.  I'm not sure what to do about my lack of consistency, maybe I need to start just 'hitting' more instead of match play all the time.  I hope to use our club singles league to practice as well, and I need to figure out way to not get so frustrated, and let things go, not beat myself up, when I miss a shot.

Singles and Doubles

I certainly enjoy doubles more than singles.  I like the comradery and good natured competition found in doubles, be it men's or mixed.  Singles and doubles require different skills and mindsets. Doubles is fast and furious, attacking the net requiring good servers, returns, volleys and overheads.  Sometimes you see a baseline rally... but I try to cut these off whenever possible.  Singles requires baseline skills, topspin and deep slice with more patience about attacking and coming into the net.  Dont get me wrong, a good serve and volley can be a great tactic... approach shots and put away shots are huge when they are working, but your opponent has a lot of court to play with when you are try to play doubles tactics.
  The other thing I find is that singles seems to be more pressure on me.  It certainly is more work, more court to cover and harder on a serving arm since you serve every other game... essentially twice as many serves and maybe twice as many shots in a match.  I get frustrated more in singles.. maybe I'm trying to end things too quick...and its either hit or miss.

    The thing I'd like to get out of singles at this point is to develop more patience during play.   Play longer rallies before attacking.

Lesson - return of serve and punch volleys

I went to our club pro for his help improving my game. I had already taken one lesson from him in the fall, specifically on my return of serve and it was money well spent. He got me moving forward, turning my shoulders to step into the ball and how to take it on the rise.   My return is still not perfect... but it went from pathetic to solid. I'm still working on the timing, but when it's really 'on' it has become a good weapon for me.
   For this lesson, I started by asking him what he thought my strengths and weaknesses were, and we got right into the obvious  We decided to start work on deep backhands.. went through the mechanics and my 'twist' motion.  It seems like I really just needs time rallying and on a ball machine reinforcing the 'good' mechanics.    Next, since I play more doubles we decided to spend time working on volleys.  This was much more enlightening.  I told him that I want to try  hitting more angles off my volleys, not to mention keeping it out of the net/hitting wide which I do a lot.  He pointed out that I have a swing, and racket head drop in my volley (both of which screws things up) so we worked on punching the ball more, using my legs while moving forward.   

He said part of my problem is I'm not closing the net enough, but especially to hit good angle volleys. We worked on split.. hit, move forward, split hit, move forward... punching the ball using footwork, not a swing.  Sometimes I find in a doubles match that I have to backup a bit and reset on a long point.. but the idea is there and it seems to be all about the feet and shoulder turn.    I tried it more last night and cut off some shots for nice angle winners... still made mistakes but it seems like I've already I added a good weapon to my game.

He also said that I'm not aggressive enough at the net... especially for mixed doubles.  I sometimes worry about not reacting quickly enough by playing to close, or getting lobbed but he said i'm quick enough to deal with close shots or run down a deep lobs.. and my overhead can take care of most lobs anyhow.

We played a game called 'belt notch' where 2 guys start at the service line and the goal is to move towards the net and hit each other.  You win the point only that way.... he says it really makes for quick hands. Doug won that 1-0.

I've also learned a trick about hitting short angles on a ground stroke.. you have to hit topspin, but on the outside of the ball. (same idea as hitting a slice approach not only under the ball but on the outside of it).  Granted, you have to have the opportunity to hit this shot at the right time, but it works well.  Overall My return from the forehand side has been wicked in doubles.  Against some people, and on some days not so much but overall it is improving... and whatever i'm doing, I find constant self improvement the most rewarding.

New grip, new strings

I'm now convinced that new strings and and new grip are really key to consistent play. Sometimes I think a racket and strings that I'm used to is better than getting it restrung or putting a new over grip on it and screwing things up.... but it doesn't work that way.
  I played last night with my 'new' racket and was amazed how much better i could feel and place the ball.  The biggest thing I noticed was the accuracy and spin.  My strings were literally peeling, and that has to affect the grab on the ball.  Plus, as they loosen up its like a trampoline which seems to affect my serve more than anything, but even volleys and ground strokes felt better. Maybe I was just feeling "it" last night and playing well, but I think the new stings helped.  It doesn't matter if its fishing or tennis... the little things do make a big difference, and a revamped racket is better than a worn out one.

Battling Second set letdown

   When I first started playing matches again last spring, I found myself struggling to get going in the first set.  I would consistently play much better in the second set, often coming back to win it and the tie breaker.  In a USTA singles match against Alpena last spring I lost the first set 6-3, and came back to win the second 6-0, finishing with a close 10-8 win in the tiebreaker. This seemed to happen more often than not for me.  Don;t get me wrong, coming back to win is fun, it sometimes works, but who wants that stress of trying to catch up every match??
  Since then, I've found ways to prepare myself, and seem to come out swinging in the first.  Unfortunatly, I've gotten in a pattern where I now drop second set after second set.  Keeping track, I only won 1 match between December and February where I won the first set.   My partner and I almost lost a doubles match where we were up 6-1, 5-1... letting them all the way to 5-6.  In the change I asked my partner about it, and he said he was feeling bored. We managed to get fired up and decided to win it 'right now' not in the 3rd set tb... we played smart tennis for the last game, got our returns back and went to the win the 7pt set tie breaker.  But this match was the exception to my pattern of winning the first set easily and dogging in in #2.  I played a singles match recently where my opponent and I are pretty evenly matched.  I was just destroying him in almost every game by driving the ball deep, attacking his server and coming in on a short ball approach, moving him around and eventually putting the ball away. I think I won the first 6-2.  But, as my typical pattern..  I dropped the second set and the Tie Breaker to him. Where did my game go?

I realize my opponent(s)  may be doing exactly what I had been... getting warmed up more slowly, and mentally fired up after dropping the first set.  Also, the bad news is that momentum in a 3rd point tiebreaker stays with the winner of the 2nd set.    In singles especially, my serve tends to get sloppy in the second set.. maybe this is mental but maybe my arm is just tired as I tend to give it my all in the first.  What's worse is I tend to set things up nicely, then miss the down the line winner that I was just nailing in the first set. For example after a great serve my opponent pops the ball up and I come in for an easy punch volley but miss it in the alley or worse take a dumb swing and put it in the tarp!  Another common scenario.. I go from hitting a consistent return of serve deep in the court and even hitting winners off both first and second serves throughout the first set to where I start netting it or putting up 'fluffers' in the 2nd set.

So, I've got to get over this and continue to put away my opponent(s) when they are down.  I'm trying to find ways to keep the momentum in the 2nd set.  In one recent match, I decided before we even started to win the first game of the second set which worked out and led to a 3-1 lead in that set.. winning the doubles match in straight sets.  Unfortunately, the very next doubles week we went back to the old pattern... and even worse started the 3rd set down 4-0 (coming back a bit only to lose it 6-4 in the 3rd).  I'm not sure if I failed to get pumped up for those games or what.

A few things I'm going to try next:
-Starting out serving more steady, and save the big serves for the 2nd set
-Win the first two games of the second set.
-Move my feet MORE in the 2nd set than the first, to avoid lazy shots and letting them back in control of the match
-Start the 2nd set out to WIN instead of not lose.

Any other ideas or feedback are welcome!

time spent as a junior....

I started playing tennis when I was very young... probably 5 or 6... with my parents and at the Park District summer program goofing around whacking home runs over the fence and getting some instruction along the way.  This progressed to the older classes, and even indoor lessons at the 'Courts' in Elmhurst IL.   At some point, my older brother showed potential and taking more formal lessons from area coach Milt Newman. We played outdoors in the summer and a couple days each week in the winter.   I've probably forgotten more from those lessons than I remember, but there was a lot of repetition, lots of games like 'around the world', drilling on one stroke, running back for overheads from the net and on and on. I"m now thankful for most of what I learned and the strokes we worked on over and over to prepare for.

  I guess I probably didn't appreciate this much as a kid, it was just something we did... sometimes I liked it, sometimes not so much but I believe the experience was good for me not only for my tennis game now, but because the lessons learned on the tennis court - good sportsmanship, competitiveness, strategy, hand eye coordination and more - are life lessons as well.

  Part of this junior experience was the competition.  We travelled to tournaments around Illinois and the mid-west.. 10 and under/12& under and even 14& under tennis with as many as 128 kids in a draw.  We played in Quincy IL, Rockford, Indianapolis, Ft Wayne and even the Western Open (and western closed if you could qualify).  Granted, I lost most of the time, fed into the consolation bracket for another match or two.  But Joe, and some of the other kids we played with did well, won a lot of trophies and made it to national tournaments along the way.  I had fun.  Also I had a good doubles partner,  Jim Hurt.  We played at all of the tournaments together and were great friends.

He was 'cool'  on the court where I was a bit of a hot head... I don't remember winning much but we always had a good time. He got much better in high school, and ended up playing college tennis on a scholarship out east.   I looked him up this year and we hit the ball around for an hour and talked about old times and the kids from those days... kids I'd see twice a week or just at tournaments but never kept in touch with...life is short and moves too quickly.

I played high school too, mostly doubles and won some lost some in a pretty competitive conference.   Maybe my coach realized the pressure of singles got to me, or maybe my skills and temperament were better suited to the net game.  Sometimes a calm partner keeps my brain in the game..and frankly I like doubles better.    I'm not sure if I could have played college tennis or not.  Maybe at a smaller school, but certainly not at UofI.. I remember a guy from junior tennis (who would beat me 0&0 or 1&1) making the UofI team and playing one of the bottom spots.  I didn't have the interest in playing anyhow. I played Lacrosse through college and it was a blast, and I still believe that my tennis helped me be successful in lacrosse... speed, agility, hand eye coordination, aggression... good skills for both sports.

After 25 years...

  After 25 years without so much as touching a racket or giving the game much thought, I have picked up Tennis again.  It started the day we went to watch my niece Gracie play in her first tournament on a cold weekend last February.  I walked out onto the balcony overlooking the bank of 5 courts where the static smell of tennis balls and tarps brought back a flood of memories.  I could recall the same sounds of squeaking shoes, ball bounces and that good solid THUMP of a good shot hit right in the sweet spot. It was a blast watching her and the kids stretched out over 5 courts battle and grunt it out for points.

  I had been sitting around now for months, not doing much but getting soft, totally ignoring my new years pledge to get back in shape.  I didn't like the way I was feeling, I even had a kidney stone crop up and make me feel my age. In past years I had plenty of physical activity running and racing sled dogs, snowshoeing and skiing and just keeping up with the farm and chores. But last February I remember staring at the stationary bike one month after new years, watching tv and thinking what I should to, but not motivation to get started.  So, my wife Diane rented us a court for my birthday and we played with the family for a couple of hours, then going to a few Saturday drills at Bay Tennis & Fitness...starting out with my old Wilson Sting (circa 1986?).   I already knew I was out of shape, but an hour on the court had me winded and wounded from the high aerobic activity and impact on legs, especially my knees .  I also found myself missing a ton of shots in the net, long wide..  sometimes literally missing the ball...  but lots of it went well and the fundamentals from time spent as a junior started to work through to the surface.

  Within a few weeks I was asked to sub for a Wednesday night doubles league.  I had a fun and played well with a good group of guys who would end each week's matches with a burger and beer at the Side Door.  I ended up joining the league for the spring session, leading into playing on a 3.5 men's USTA team against Traverse City and Alpena. I won my singles matches, not easily but won them just the same.    Warm weather rolled around and it was easy to go to the high school courts to hit around, and I found plenty of people to hit with.  I met Gus, who invited me to join in on pickup games two nights per week and started playing mixed doubles with a really nice (and competitive!) group on the weekends.  All of the tennis players I've met in Petoskey have been inviting and friendly.  I've enjoyed making friends and competing... win or lose it's a lot of good fun.

  Early summer I was invited to play on a summer Men's 4.0 team. I split my singles matches, but won both doubles matches, (thanks mostly part to good partners).  Our team won a close double header match-up against Alpena and ended up qualifying for state's.  We met up for the competition in Ann Arbor, which was pretty awesome.  The courts at UofM are as impressive to a tennis player as the 'big house' is to a football fan.

  And although I lost both my single matches, I have to admit the competitive side of me was fueled.  It was a good experience and I learned a lot from each match.  I don't really remember learning from losing when I was a kid.. just playing and winning or losing.  Now the learning is my favorite part.  Working and improving on anything is worthwhile and great fun. I guess life's lessons sometimes come around again and again.

  This winter I'm playing 2-3 days per week, plus a couple of USTA league matches events in Traverse City.  I guess because I played on the 4.0 team and won a few matches, I got bumped up to a 4.0 USTA rating this year, and am looking forward to the upcoming 'BOB' doubles tournament in Traverse City.  I'm hoping too to play on a Men's 4.0 team, and qualify again, and give State's another shot in Ann Arbor.

More importantly, I find myself in better physical shape than a year ago and in much better spirits.  For me inactivity leads to more inactivity and lethargy.  Now if I go a couple of days without exercising or playing tennis I really crave it.  I look forward to my weekly league and playing with the friends I've made in the Petoskey area and Northern Michigan through tennis.  I especially enjoy playing with friends and against new opponents. The USTA tourneys and leagues make this possible, offering both formats where you can test yourself against people with similar skills and have a lot of fun along the way.