Tennis Girl

Check out this tennis pendent, now in my possession. Joanna Dyer found it for SCRAP for little ol' me. Which is perfect since it's now tennis season again. And once again I need to get out there on the court. Last year I think I only played three games - including the Bike to Tennis I lead for Pedalpalooza last June and two games with Bruce Orr. And I was bad then, just as I'm still bad - but every time I have fun. I am reminded of a funny story, The last time I played with Bruce I forgot to bring any balls - I only noticed this oversight after we had waited 20 minutes for the Peninsula Park court to clear. OH crap - what to do. We started rooting around for lost balls in the vicinity. Ah Ha - I spied one and ran after it, just as one of the guys who left came back looking for it (I think, just in case I hid it). I have to say I kind of enjoyed one-ball tennis. It made me play better since I didn't want to have to go run and pick it up.

I also have a thing for tennis outfits - and this I have Joanna to blame as well. A year and half ago she had her annual January birthday party- the theme was dress the year you were born. I was born in 1975 - and decided that I wanted to dress as 70s tennis player. I gathered a white tennis skirt and top, old racket, headband.. then an ice storm hit and I missed the party. The outfit debuted a few weeks later at a Spies & Ninja Birthday party for Lauren instead. No one would suspect a tennis player to be a spy! But the outfit needed a coming out party on the courts, so I planned a Bike to Tennis ride. Originally Susie Phillips was going to dress up with me, but plans changed, so good old Joanna came through and won "Cutest on the Court" for her tennis ensemble complete with oversized sunglasses (which are now in vogue again recently). Well maybe this summer I might actually play more tennis than talk about it.

By the way another tennis story from my youth: When I was in junior high I took tennis one summer at Round Lake Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and it happened to be during the Tennis champions at Wimbledon. So we had a little contest to guess the winners. I knew a few players, but for some reason I chose, unknown at the time, Steffi Graf to win the women's comp. And she did! I even won a water bottle a prize. It's funny that now Steffi Graf is married to Andre Agassi - who I loved in the mid 1980s. In fact here's a little unknown fact - I was in the Agassi fan club for about a year, had a Andre Agassi poster wall in my bedroom and went to see him play at one of those all star game promotions - I even got more expensive tickets than my family so I could be a little closer - though he's just a speck in all my 'le clic' camera shots. Anyway I soon tired of the mullet and hot pink shorts, but I still like to watch tennis on the tube - mens or womens doesn't matter. This year I'll try to make an effort to get to the park to play tennis, unfortunately it takes two and I only have one good racket.

So who wants to play me?