Beginning to Play Tennis

I played tennis for many years while growing-up. My Mother often said that I used tennis as a release for pent-up energy. Perhaps she was right. Regardless, it was something that I enjoyed very much and did as often as I could.

I can't remember why I decided to start playing. Perhaps it was my Dad's love of the game. The two sports my Dad enjoyed the most were football (which I decided not to play after one day's try-out in junior high) and tennis. He played tennis for Davis High School and still had his wooden racket that he let me use. It was the kind of racket that required a frame to keep it from warping.

I took summer lessons when I was 11 or 12 at the 5-point courts in Bountiful. I don't remember doing that well but the rules were easy to learn and the game was fun to play. Maybe it was the smell of newly opened tennis balls, but the idea stuck. The nearest tennis courts were about a mile away at the junior high school. I played with my Dad initially but he was not as available as my best friend who lived next door. Luckily, Noel developed an interest in tennis about the same time I did.

My first tennis racket was made of aluminum, which may not seem unusual today but metal rackets were just coming out. In fact, they were so new that none of the professional players were using them. I bought what I could afford (my parents probably paid for half); my Dad who had more discretionary money, bought a steel racket, which he again let me use.

My Dad not only encouraged me to play, he also encouraged me to excel. I remember signing-up for my first competition at his suggestion. I did not play that well at the time but I did it for him. I did not make it past the first round. The person I was pitted-against was a much better player than I was. Still, my Dad watched and encouraged me from the sidelines for the entire match. I tried very hard and played better than I had ever played before. The match lasted so long that I was physically and emotionally exhausted by the end. Although I was in tears after the first two sets, I played-on until the battle was lost.

Eventually a court was built kitty-corner to our house next to the fire station. I probably played every day after that when the weather was good. I played Noel most of the time but we would also play doubles against older men (Noel's adult cousin and his friend) and even very old men (Bishop Lewis and his friend). We would play anyone that would play with us. We would sit on the sidelines watching and waiting for our turn if we had to.