Chad Stettler
SaddleBrooke Tennis Club and the SaddleBrooke community has another USTA tennis team representing them in a USTA-sanctioned sectional tournament this fall. When a group of us decided to put together a 40+ mixed doubles 7.0 team, little did we know that we would win the league and get a chance to compete in sectionals in Surprise, Ariz., in September. I believe we all just wanted to have the opportunity to compete against other players outside of SaddleBrooke. True, we have some younger players on the team. However, we have no one in their 40s. It is quite an achievement to end up with an impressive 6-2 record against a lot of young, 40-year-old players.
It was a total team effort. We all had good days and not-so-good days, but in the end, we all succeeded in having a lot of fun and camaraderie. Throughout the season, we had some player injuries and players on vacation. But with all of our players pretty much at an equal playing level, it didn’t matter who played, nor which court they played.
Many on the team travel for the summer, so we probably will not all get together until it’s time for sectionals. We all have promised that wherever we are, we will pick up a racquet and get in some good practices prior to Sept. 23. We all hope to represent our tennis club and SaddleBrooke to the best of our abilities.