How great would it be if I had learned to play tennis as a kid?
If I had three wishes, that would be the first one on my list. Playing tennis is one of the most fun things I do.
If one analyzes any sport it becomes silly. Writer Elliott Chaze once described tennis this way:
"In tennis the addict moves about a hard rectangle and seeks to ambush a fuzzy ball with a modified snow-shoe."
However silly it may sound, going out and hitting a little green ball with my girlfriends is pure joy. It is hit-and-giggle tennis at it's best.
I suppose I shouldn't be so greedy, because to be able to still play tennis is in itself a wish come true.
Golf has also entered my life, but it can't compare with tennis. Golf is just too fiddly and frustrating. There's too much to think about, and it takes too much time to play. Like tennis pro Pete Sampras said, "Golfers are forever working on mechanics. My tennis swing hasn't changed in 10 years."
If you are interested in starting a tennis group, let me give you some advice.
My tennis-playing buddies and I have a roster of about 18-20 players. As some leave, we find others to take their place.
The players ebb and flow with travel, health issues and other life changes interfering at times.
We keep a spiral notebook with dates that we sign when we can play. Each member of the roster takes their turn at being the "bookie."
So far we've been able to keep two courts going twice a week for two hours, and only seldom do we end up with seven or have one too many.
It is said that tennis is a game for life.
In hindsight, if there is one game I wish I had encouraged my kids to play this is the one.
Besides the health benefits, like our second oldest granddaughter, Andie, a good tennis player can get into college, win a scholarship or make some good money all summer by teaching others to play.
My husband, Grit, also lives with some regret. Because he attended a small high school (BY High in Provo, Utah) he was able to play on many sports teams. Quite a few of his friends tried to get him to play tennis.
Instead he decided to pole vault, which was lots of fun at the time but certainly not a sport you can call up a few friends and have a friendly pole-vaulting match later in life.
A few weeks ago, in this very paper, Ray Grass wrote an article titled, "Tennis makes you healthier, happier, smarter, slimmer."
In case you missed it, I will repeat four facts he used from the USTA website, which are backed up by scientists and physicians.
People who participate in tennis three hours per week cut their risk of death in half from any cause.
Tennis players score higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem, and lower in depression, anger, confusion, anxiety and tension than other athletes and non-athletes.
Since tennis requires alertness and tactical thinking, it may generate new connections between nerves and the brain.
Tennis outperforms golf, inline skating and most other sports in developing positive personality characteristics."
If that isn't enough to make a golfer weep, go to the website and see the huge list of other reasons to take up tennis.
But wait, why am I telling you all this?
One of the reasons I like playing tennis in Utah is because there are lots of available courts standing empty.
Oh well, maybe I can recruit you for our group.