On the Court, You Can Call Me Stephie (Graf)

I would call my friend Nancy a tennis person. I always knew she loved the game. But when she got into a "discussion" with my dad on whether EastRidge membership funds should go to tennis or golf, I knew she really love the game.

Two things about that:
1. My dad isn't one of those people you have these "discussions" with. If he wasn't my father, even I would be intimidated by this man. But since I'm the only girl, it's no sweat.

2. He's the current club champ at EastRidge. He owns a golf course. He's been traveling about twice a month to play golf at other courses. He will never agree that money should go to any sport at EastRidge other than golf.

You've got to love Nancy for trying. So, this morning I get in to the office and there's an e-mail from Nancy titled "tennis????" Question mark is right.

"Want to play on our beginners tennis team? ... It would be really fun! Let me know if you are in!"

First of all, I'm not swayed by exclamation marks. Weak punctuation. But something happened between that first sentence and last, something very powerful. Nancy listed all the names of my friends who've already agreed to the beginner tennis team. Rats. No one likes to be left out. So, I thought of all the pros and cons.

Pros: cute skirts, exercise, hanging out with friends, maybe drinking wine with friends afterwords.

Cons: The only time I've hit a tennis ball was against the garage door, I don't have a racket, heck — I don't even know how to keep score.

While the cons are rather powerful, I've always wanted to wear cute tennis clothes. I may get a cute outfit, but my overall feeling is that this is going to be tragic. Fortunately, the league doesn't start until September, so I've got some time to practice. The only question that remains is who's willing to lend me a free lesson or two?