In the Name of Love

Some families are football mad, others its baseball or basketball. My grandmother was tennis mad. She would curse like a sailor at the tv if the line judge called something out when it wasn't, or made a bad call. She was the John McEnroe of spectators.

Wimbledon started this week, and it makes me wistful for playing.
One sport I was always good at was tennis. My aunt taught me to play when I was about 5 or 6, bouncing the ball against the garage door. As I got older, my friends and I would ride bikes to the local tennis courts on Glenn Avenue and spend hours playing in the summer.

I don't think I would have ever been a champion, but I did have a lot of innate skills.
I didn't take tennis lessons until I was a teenager at the Sports Mall in Salt Lake City.

My instructor suggested that I sign up for the junior USTA, and then for whatever reason, the lessons stopped.

I tried out for the high school team, but it was a huge commitment, and I had an after school job so I wasn't able to commit to practice every day in the morning and after school.

I tried to convince the Princess to play against me in the year or so she's been in South Dakota, but she's been busy with work.The Big Man used to play tennis back in his high school days too, but he no longer actively plays.

Now, our tennis is limited to the Wii , so yes, I do still play. The skills are still there, and I still love the game.