Tennis for Five Days Running

Sometimes a guy just doesn't have any new photos, but wants to add to his pile of blogs and send some guff into the public consciousness that is the internet.



I have since shaved the beard off, deciding that spring is indeed here and that the beard's itch was more than I could stand any more. The temperature has stayed above freezing for at least 40 consecutive hours, and, of course, today reached a very pleasant 45 degrees nearby on Grand Avenue.

So, today was my fifth straight day of competitive tennis and it's starting to wear on me. It has reduced my energy level to a point where I have been neglecting my blog and my photographic adventures. I took the camera out today to find something worthy to photograph, saw mainly puddles and melting snow, and thus came home empty.

The last two tennis events will be enough for tonight, I suspect. I played a USTA Super Seniors (over 60's) match at the Fort Snelling Tennis facility last night at 8:30. Incidentally, 8:30 is an ungodly hour to be playing competitive tennis. The Super Senior league has only two teams in the Twin Cities for the winter season, so we are playing the same team five times (or until one team wins three). The other team has a load of very good players. One of the guys on the doubles team that I faced last night is ranked number one in his age group (over 60) in the Northern Section of the USTA. They have a couple of other guys in the same category. My partner, Bob, and I lost 6-4, 6-3, but I think that if I had had a little sense and had rested a day between matches, we may have done better. In any case, we also lost the other two matches in the team competition, and now have lost twice to this team. We play them again next week - on Tuesday.

Tonight I played with the usual gang of hardcore guys at Wooddale. We had 90 minutes to determine a winner, but failed to get through the second set before the next group took over the court. The scores 5-7, 6-5. We were headed for a tiebreaker. Again, I think that if my stamina level was up to snuff, we may have won both sets. Who knows? But we had long competitive points followed by panting and friendly comments. It is, indeed a group of very nice gentlemen, all of whom are thankful to be mobile and upright at the end of the evening. This group often includes Jerry, who begins his chemotherapy and radiation treatments in another week or so. We miss his blazing, swinging forehand volleys. We expect him back in June or so.

The state is looking like spring will be here soon, but the weather talking heads have predicted one more snowstorm (at least) which is due in town for tomorrow's rush hour. They say. I'll be playing Mixed doubles tomorrow at Wooddale.

My biking season doesn't start until the snow is gone and the pavement is dry. It must be warm, too. I have heard that the real hardcore bikers have begun their 2008 campaign in earnest. So it goes.