Tuesday tennis groups like family
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/Sports/62348/
BELLA VISTA — If anyone in Benton County needs evidence that tennis is a lifetime sport, they should spend some time at Bella Vista’s Kingsdale Tennis Center on a weekday morning.
On the courts, groups of senior citizens gather to swap serves and stories. One of the most organized senior tennis groups occurs each Tuesday.
The tennis is laid back. Nobody challenges line calls and the final score is quickly forgotten.
“ We would rather give up a point than fight, ” Tom Monie said.
Monie is the organizer of Tuesday morning senior tennis. He is always looking for players no matter their age or skill.
If he needs a fourth player to fill out a doubles game, he will attempt to grab whoever is on site, including a 23-year old reporter wearing khaki shorts and a brown polo waiting to interview him.
There are sign-ups for the groups to insure players show up. There can be a variety of reasons why players don’t show including travel and health. The sign-up sheets amount to a loose agreement that a player will make a game.
Paul Pautsch, the longtime pro at the center, has seen the men show up in all types of weather.
“ They are very, very loyal, ” Pautsch said. “ They don’t miss. ”
In summers the men start at 8 a. m. while the women start at 8: 30 a. m. The start times are pushed back in the fall and winter. The reason for the earlier summer time is to beat the heat.
“ I want to start at six (in the morning ), ” Monie said.
During breaks the players seek out the shade when possible. Sometimes finding shade requires standing in the corner of the court.
“ We would love to have a dome, ” Monie joked during a break in his game.
Monie is in his 80 s and like many of Bella Vista’s residents, he enjoys an abundant amount of free time.
Bella Vista has emerged during the years as a premier retirement community. More than half of Bella Vista’s population is over the age of 60, according to the 2000 U. S. Census data. One of the reasons why seniors move to the area is because of the activities available within a short driving distance. Besides tennis, the Bella Vista landscape has golf courses and recreational centers with pools and bridge clubs.
“ It is a tough place to beat when it comes to retirement, ” Monie said.
Shirley Hofmann moved to the area more than 20 years ago from northern Illinois with her late husband. Some of her friends wondered why “ intelligent people” would move to Arkansas for retirement. She responded by showing them the real estate listings. The relatively cheap housing was appealing but the options for physical activity captured her spirit.
“ We came here because of the tennis, golf and swimming, which are the three things we enjoy, ” Hofmann said.
Hofmann is the definition of an active senior and has participated in the Senior Olympics in swimming. Before she played tennis Tuesday, she swam laps at the adjacent pool. After tennis, Hofmann then watered the plants around the complex.
She is not the only one volunteering around the place. Monie takes out the recycling.
The players form a bond with the place and each other but some information such as ages remain a mystery.
Estimates on Lucile Roberts’ age range from early 20 s to late 80 s. Roberts served more than 30 years in the Army Nurse Corps spanning World War II and Korea and rose to the rank of colonel.
On Tuesday, she was at her post on the court by her tennis partners.
Roberts said, “ This tennis group is really our family. ”