This is the second blog in my quest for 50 and as with last weeks covering 1969, I don’t recall much of 1970. However, I do believe a seed was planted around something that would become an integral part of the fabric of my life. Tennis!
My father was extremely passionate about tennis, which was passed on to me. I can remember as a young boy running around the tennis courts in Lufkin, TX kicking pinecones, making forts, and doing whatever else was in my imagination that day while he played matches. As I got a little older, I would daydream about playing in one of the Grand Slams, mimicking every move on my ways to the finals. My favorite players in the late 70’s were Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe but in my younger years, there was no one cooler than the red-headed lefty, Rod Laver and the man with the mustache, John Newcombe. Rod had won all four Grand Slams in 1969, the year I was born, and Newcombe was the 1970 Wimbledon Champion. Watching matches on tv back then was less than desirable but it helped set the foundation and passion for a game I still love today.
This past weekend I attended the USTA Southern annual meeting in Jackson, MS, which works closely with the Mississippi Tennis Association (MTA). They are focused on the growth and promotion of tennis in Mississippi through diverse junior and adult programs. The executive director for USTA Mississippi is a good friend of mine from Tyler Jr. College, Geoff Norton. We met while studying in the Tennis Tech Program at TJC and still share the same passion for tennis today as we did 31 years ago. Like Newcombe, he too had a badass moustache, and we soon became good buddies. Geoff has had an unbelievable career in tennis since leaving TJC and his positive impact on the sport globally and in Mississippi, has been nothing short of amazing.
Geoff recently reached out to me to see if I would be willing to serve in a volunteer role as an Area Director for the North Central district of Mississippi. The role is tasked with helping to promote the sport through city organizations and private clubs. I cannot remember a day where I didn’t think about tennis and attending the USTA meeting this weekend, reminded me of just how much I missed it. It was incredible to see the thought, care, and passion the people of the USTA and MTA put into ensuring the sport thrives in this state and in the South. My love for the game has never wavered and I was honored to be nominated for the role. While my career took a different path outside of tennis, having the opportunity to volunteer and participarte in and around it again is a dream come true.
I find it refreshing how love for something so long ago finds its way back to me later in life. It reminds me of quote by Nancy Thayer, “The universe is always speaking to us. Sending us little messages, causing coincidences and serendipities, reminding us to stop, to look around, to believe in something else, something more.”
The universe definitely was speaking to me this weekend. It was saying “Hey Stevo…remember the little things that make you happy and surround yourself with it!” I’m grateful for so many things, especially my wife Sarah, and four sons, Blake, Lance, Luke, and Scot, and I’m especially grateful the universe has guided me back to tennis, rekindling a wonderful youthful feeling that promotes happiness.
2 of 50 - 1970