Member Spotlight: Cindy Babb
Cindy Babb (left) winning the Gold Ball with Leslie Pixley & Molly Hahn
Cindy Babb has lived in many places in the US as well as in Germany, including Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Virginia, New Jersey, and now South Carolina. She traces her tennis history back to Sarasota, Florida where she learned to play; she went on to play high school and college tennis in Georgia. She is an alum of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro--along with another of our well-known players—Brenda Carter. One result of these moves was that she soon learned to appreciate different local cultures.
Sweetgrass basket woven by Cindy Babb
Moving to Charleston in 2004, she was intrigued by sweetgrass baskets and promptly signed up for a class. Sweetgrass basket-weaving is a tradition passed down through generations of the Gullah culture, primarily. Over time, the weaving has evolved from a tool made during slavery to an art form—dried sweetgrass is bundled together and coiled tightly in circles—instead of being woven like other baskets. Palmetto frond strands hold the piece in place. The baskets can be traced to a similar type made in Sierra Leone, Africa. In the early 1900s, sweetgrass became the dominant material due to its flexibility, light green color, and pleasant perfume. Sweetgrass is common to the sandy moist ocean and marsh soils and has a purple plume in the fall; it is harvested in the spring and summer and sun-dried. This art form is now mostly concentrated in the Lowcountry area of South Carolina. Besides the cultural appreciation, Cindy says she was drawn to its symmetry in design which appeals to her own desire for symmetry and the fact it is something you can do outdoors.
Through her changes in abode, tennis has been a constant. With her husband’s career moves, she was able to continue her tennis career as a pro and player. She lived for a few years in Belleville, Il where she knew the Connors family and taught at John Connor’s tennis club. Many of you remember her from Regency Sport and Health in Tyson’s Corner, Va. While in Germany, she played on local club teams which allowed her to make friends with residents and pick up the language. Here are just some of her outstanding tennis accomplishments. A gold ball in singles at the USTA National Grass Courts in 2016 was a thrill since she views her strength to be a doubles player. She served as President of the NSWTA (NWTO) in 2013-2015 and was elected to the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019. She has been a regular participant in Intersectionals as well as Senior Cup events. She is currently chairing the tournament committee for the NWTO’s own tournament in Charleston on Daniel Island which has been rescheduled to begin October 20th. In fact, she wove seven sweetgrass baskets for some of the prizes for last year’s tournament. (This tournament was in progress last March when the pandemic restrictions hit.) One of the planned highlights is to hold a 3.5 level tournament along with the main event.
Cindy is hoping to see more of her family and grandkids soon and is also anticipating the start of tournament play. She says that tennis and being President of the NSWTA have brought so much richness and so many friends to her life. She hopes that in looking ahead that we can collaborate with other like-minded groups while serving our members and attracting even more younger players to this lifetime sport. She looks forward to meeting new friends and greeting old ones as tournaments pick up this year. In the end, symmetry seems to describe her life as a person and player.
