Reflections on NSWTA/NWTO
Kathy Langer
When did you join NSWTA/NWTO? How has it influenced/impacted you as a competitive tennis player?
I asked some longtime friends these questions and here are some of their responses…
Fay Martin:
“At age 50, I thought it was time to see what real tennis players were like, so I took a Greyhound bus from Knoxville, TN, to Grand Central Station in New York, and then a subway to Forest Hills to play in the National Tournament. Jane Crofford, from Nashville at that time, took me under her wing and gave me encouragement. I joined the organization (NSWTA) and became a Life Member, so that makes it 49 years, since I am now 89 years old.
It was wonderful meeting people who are devoted to the game, who are friendly, and exhibit such great sportsmanship. I was thrilled to be a member of the Friendship Cup in Austria in 2011 and play in the ITF tournament after. It was really interesting to meet players from England, Argentina and Australia.
At the USTA National Tournaments, it has been inspiring to watch some of the top players, such as DoDo Cheney, Belmar Gunderson, Dorothy Matthiessen, Dori DeVries, Roz King, Burnette Herrick and many others.
At the tournaments I also enjoyed the fellowship, the delicious meals, the banquets and sometimes the lively dancing!
I have great praise and appreciation for NWTO and its many leaders, past and present.
Lola O’Sullivan:
I remember thinking when I first joined that I may as well become a ‘Life Member’ since I thought I would play for as long as I lived…and that has surely worked out!
I think it’s been over 50 years now and counting.
The travel, the friends, the fun was well worth it! Let’s see how many more years I can use my ‘life membership’!
Pam Simons:
In 2015, Cindy Babb introduced me to NSWTA when I moved to Charleston and was lucky enough to become part of her and Brenda Carter’s tennis circle. I had not played in a USTA sanctioned tournament since high school but was soon in a car with Cindy, driving to Huntsville, AL to play with her in the 60 and over National Clay Courts.
Playing competitive tennis at our age is a joy. And were it not for the NSWTA, we might have reached our ‘sell-by’ date, as they say, in the eyes of the USTA. Instead, we have a USTA Level 1 or 2 tournament to look forward to every other month or so. We have dear friends that play in them, friends we catch up with, support through hard times, and encourage just by being there.
We need these shared moments, and I thank Cindy and the NWTO every day for fighting for this organization, making it better and helping me age with a goal. Getting older is no fun but at least we can try to play better each year and frankly, it’s a good goal just to stay able to compete!
Cindy Babb:
I was recruited into NSWTA membership by Belmar Gunderson when I was playing in the 35s. I remember her telling me not to do a lifetime membership ($100 at the time) because the treasury needed working capital. What a fool I was! But I have to say that decades of yearly membership dues have still been a bargain for the many friendships and benefits I have received over the years from my association with NSWTA/NWTO.
After about fifteen to twenty years of membership, Belmar approached me again to serve a two-year term as NSWTA President. Despite describing feelings of inadequacy, Belmar’s staunch belief in me encouraged me to accept the nomination. (‘No’ was never going to be an acceptable answer to Belmar!)
We discovered so many members who were willing to give their time and efforts to build our tennis tournaments into events that everyone wants to play. We promised the younger players that we would do the hard work to hold on to age-division tournaments until they could find the time in their busy lives to play them.
As I look at the draws of our USTA Level 1 and 2 tournaments, I see many of those women now playing regularly in those events. These same women are accepting leadership roles in the organization and building upon what the founding members envisioned: sporting women fiercely competing on the court and enjoying their friendship off the court.
Carol Clay:
I think I’ve been a member for about 35-40 years and served on the NSWTA Board of Directors and VP of the NSWTFoundation. I was a late bloomer in tennis, as I was a competitive swimmer until my late 20’s.
This organization was very important to me in several ways. I was able to connect with players, learn about tournaments and enjoy the camaraderie of the wonderful members. NWTO has been impactful in forwarding our mission, and we do make a difference. We are now advocacy partners with the USTA Adult Competition Committee, as well as the National Senior Men’s Tennis Association, which has benefitted all involved.
Also, as the ITF Representative from the USTA, I have presented ideas from our organization. After renaming to NWTO (leaving out the word ‘senior’, which our younger players couldn’t identify with), I used that ‘ammunition’ to get the ITF to change the names of ITF tournaments, which for many years were ‘Young Seniors’, ‘Seniors’ and ‘Super Seniors’, to the Masters Tour.
Kandy Chain:
The first National Tournament I played was at the Merion Cricket Club on grass. Except for those from Southern California, I knew very few players from other USTA Sections. I’ll never forget walking up on the veranda of the club the day before matches were to start. Players were greeting each other or sitting together in groups. My friend and I were definitely ‘outliers’.
That was a 35 tournament, and it had a 64 draw. Thirty-five years later I still compete against those same players. Many of them I consider friends. I have played doubles with a good chunk of them.
The NSWTA/NWTO has remained a constant in my life. It’s there when I’m ready and able to play. It’s been a carrot for me to get back in the game. After 2 years out from dealing with a bad knee and then a knee replacement, I recently was able to play the grass court Nationals at Mission Hills. I really appreciated the camaraderie and support from the other players. Also, I was able to share my knee journey with others who are going through similar issues.
Personally, I’ve always been a competitive person. I’m always aspiring to improve, to get better, faster, smarter. The NWTO provides a venue to test my passions.
These are just a few of the people who have had positive experiences belonging to our great organization. There are many more stories out there, but what comes across is the competition, the friendships, the venues and the influence of NWTO in making our sport, the sport of a lifetime! And you don’t have to have a Life Membership to reap the benefits!
