Member Spotlight: Lisa Musgrave
Lois Harris
“As a new member of the NWTO board, I’d like us to explore ways to make national tournament play more accessible to more players.”
Lisa was a self-avowed horse-crazy kid. But when the only stables in her area closed down, her mother suggested tennis lessons from the new pro at the local swim and tennis club–The San Rafael Beach Club in California. The pro happened to be Eugene Cantin, former Berkeley #1, and she was his first lesson. She remembers he used a cardboard box of tennis balls, but at 15 years old, she was hooked! Since then tennis has been the strongest constant in her life, although other sports like skiing and golf captured her for a while.
About 15 or 20 years ago, Lisa says, “One of my students invited me to go for a walk in a local forest preserve, where I was blown away by the spring wildflower display. I had no idea that one could see wildflowers in the Chicago area. I was enchanted, and it led me to try to photograph them, which led me to seek out more places where wildflowers might grow. Through that I started running into volunteers who were out restoring those same preserves. Eventually I was invited to join them, and I knew it was a place I wanted to be. Now I am a co-steward of two sites, working with the Forest Preserve District. We coordinate volunteers who come to cut invasive brush, pull weeds, or gather seed. It goes on all year 'round, and it is very gratifying to see the results, knowing that you are making a positive contribution to a healthier planet. At the same time, my photography skills and equipment have evolved, so I am seeing and recording much more than just flowers!” https://www.flickr.com/photos/lc10s/
As a former teaching professional, Lisa reports that “I really enjoyed my teaching career. I think my enthusiasm for tennis came across as I worked with kids and adults. I also coached teams, and for 20 years organized a large in-house league program. But now that I’m retired, I am blessed with having to balance tennis (I’m often registered on as many as 5 teams), volunteering, photography, reading, gardening, and travel.
Lisa shares: “I like how the USTA has created many different kinds of leagues to make it easy to join or form a team. It's definitely difficult to grow the sport in the North, however, where we are limited to indoor courts much of the year. That makes it cost-prohibitive for many. That, of course, is also the issue with the national program. I love playing a national tournament, but sometimes it may not be the wisest use of my time and money (plus I try to be mindful of the environmental costs of travel). I wonder, too, who are the players out there who are awesome, but can't afford to play the national events? As a new member of the NWTO board, I’d like us to explore ways to make national tournament play more accessible to more players.