Friday, September 24, 2004

Queen of the Courts & Organization

Queen Me speaks . . . .

Well, we've got the trumpets ready to play! We've found the perfect Queen to fill our Queen of Organization spot. You'll be meeting her next week (picture, bio and all).

Just learned the company that sells the socks I talk about on the website (Queen of the Courts) is expanding into tennis outfits, tops and shorts. How exiciting to be able to provide queenly merchandise to you tennis player Queens. Not sure about this yet, but we're thinking of adding a Queen of the Courts forum. A nice little place for all you Queen of the Courts to discuss your latest victory or bagel. (Okay, this means you didn't win a game. Yikes happened to me just last week.)

Recently a story sent out via www.msn.com (articles for women) announced: Tennis, the sport of modern queens. Okay, the part about modern queens caught my attention. My tennis friends and I definitely consider ourselves queens! Well, like I shared on the website . . . we are "Queens of the Court", you know.

This little statistic floored me. According to Rachel Cohen (Lifetimetv.com), "Last year a whooping 5.9 million took up tennis for the first time--and about half of them were women." Although I've played since high school many of my peers started much, much later in life. When you actually pick up your racket for the first time doesn't seem to have any impact on how well you will be able to play. Many of my tennis partners and opponents actually started playing within the last five years and simply progressed up to higher levels of play.

So, here's my push . . . tennis is fun! It doesn't take a lot of money (racket, balls and shoes for starters). Plus, most communities have multiple community courts--meaning you can play there for free. And, you don't have to be an athlete to play well or win. It's exercise, but it's exercise all my tennis friends look forward to doing. I never moan about having to go to the court. Our reporter friend also shared: "Playing tennis burns a whooping 420 calories an hour and is truly a full-body workout, forcing you to use your abs, arms and legs while improving your flexibility and mental focus." It's open to everyone--all body types, sizes and shapes. I don't know of another sport (besides golf) that women can enjoy (and compete) for a lifetime. One day, I'll have to feature our oldest queen player in the Queen-zine. She's fabulous and regularly whips us by using her skill and finesse.

Go to www.tenniswelcomecenter.com for locations near you. Make it fun and talk your friends into doing it with you. Group lessons are much cheaper and make for a nice social gathering. According to the Cohen's article, "The United States Tennis Association (USTA) claims it only takes about four to six lessons to get proficient at hitting the ball."

Because of my husband's line of work, we move regularly. Always, I quickly find a new set of friends simply by finding a local group of tennis playing Queens! BTW, I'm hosting our almost monthly tennis gathering next Thursday and serving juleps (providing a little southern hospitality). I'll let you know how it all turns out. And, hopefully will see you at the courts!