Captain or Skipper, it's all the same summer fun.(The Last Laugh)(tennis and boating)

At a workshop I attended for WIHE several years ago, a leader suggested getting in touch with our favorite things by thinking back to what we enjoyed most as a kid, and fast-forwarding it to the adult version. In my case, there wasn't much change. As a tomboy, I loved tennis and boating, still two of the best ways to spend summer.

Boating was limited to the rowboats and canoes at Phantom Lake YMCA Camp and the occasional fishing trip with my father. But that didn't stop me from wearing my favorite sailor's cap all summer, and my father calling me Skipper.

But tennis was unlimited, because I lived right across the street from Buchner Park, which had six public courts and a backboard for practicing alone.

Today my enjoyment of both these pastimes has evolved from a child's pure fun to a more serious pursuit of acquiring the skills to enjoy them at a higher level. Sometimes it seems almost like work!

Serious fun at tennis

I captain our USTA 3.0 team, the Passing Shots. Although the name refers to a hard ground stroke passing an opponent who has come to the net, a player new to the team thought it was our favorite drinking game.

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