John Powless, Senior Tennis Player of the Millennium

 It happened again.  I wandered about town yesterday on my day off in search of a place to work out with other players and I found the perfect match just three miles from my hotel.  Kate, a local physician who is a club member, introduced herself while I was standing at the front desk.  Kate invited me to join her and her friend Joan, a writer with ties to publishing.   Despite Joan's advanced age, she displayed an uncanny ability to slice both her forehand and backhand.  These ladies worked me over.  It was just what I needed to get my sea legs back after last week's introduction to Ragbrai on the hilly roads of Iowa.

After our play ended we headed to the front desk where I met Laurajean Powless, the daughter-in-law of John Powless, founder of John Powless Tennis Center.  Laurajean shared the story of the man who introduced her to tennis.  This is one of most amazing tennis families I've ever known.  Laurajean's husband, Jason, is one of the pros at the club.  The couples oldest son, Jack, also works at the club.  They are raising eight kids while running the club which consists of eight indoor courts, numerous outdoor courts and something special my teammates are going to be really envious of.  Drumroll... two clay courts!  Care to guess where I'll be spending my free time?  The closest I've ever been to clay was early in my tennis life at a place called La Mancha in Phoenix.  This place is the real deal.  I'll let you know how that goes in a future post.

I would like to thank Leah who runs the front desk for getting me off to a great start.  She made me feel welcome.  Thanks also to Kate and Joan for the lesson.  And special thanks to Laurajean who is pictured with a photo of tennis legend, John Powless.  In 1999 he was voted senior tennis player of the millennium.  Laurajean shared that her father-in-law's voice is in her head offering pointers during her match play.  John departed this world last year after a long fight with colon cancer, the only opponent ever to stop him.  John's legacy lives on in the family you must meet when you're visiting Madison.  Have a great day.