Drama Queen, Thy Name is Thom?

 

It was the bump heard round the tennis world!

  And it is one of my favorite tennis drama memories.

It was the the semifinals of the 1997 US Open, and a new-to-the-scene Venus Williams was playing her first US Open against a fiery Irina Spirlea.  Spirlea, at the time, was the only WTA tour player to ever be defaulted from a match due to her abhorrent behavior.  Both women were in their first semis of a major and both were determined to win.

And then it happened-the bump heard round the tennis world.

Late in the match, both Venus and Irina were heading to their chairs on a change over.  Both walked towards their chairs with steely determination, head down, trying to muster up whatever focus they needed to close out the match.  I remember watching this live.  They kept getting closer each seemingly not paying attention to the other.  They both were at the end of the net on their side heading towards the chair umpire.  I just kept thinking, watch out!  You're going to run into her!!!  And then, they did-they ran into each other.  Venus barely seemed to notice.  But Irina, oh yeah, she noticed.  Lucky for Venus Irina left her guns at home that day otherwise I shutter to think what would have happened.  Later in a press conference, after Irina lost, she told the press "She thinks she's the Venus f*cking Williams!"  I thought to myself, Irina bumped Venus on purpose and I loved it!  Loved it then, and I still laugh thinking about it to this day.  Irina was a bit of a drama queen that day, and that was fine by me.

I hate to admit it, but I've released my inner Spirlea at a few GLTA tournaments.  Of course, I've never bumped anyone or come to blows.  I'm too scared for all that now, don't be silly.  I can't damage my face.  But my mouth has gotten the better of me on more than one occasion.  And this all just works out fine with my doubles partner Grant.  He's a bit more quiet and non-confrontational, and he doesn't mind winding me up like a top and letting me loose on one of our opponents.  And I oblige, like it's my job, like I'm getting a big fat paycheck for it.

I think most of the time I'm a nice easy going guy.  I like to have fun on court and I like to make my fans (or those who had nowhere else to sit so they sat besides my court, the more likely situation) have a good time too.  I want to win my matches, but it's not life or death.  I'm not getting paid out there.  I want the trophies and gay pride that come with winning one of these tournaments as much as the next guy.  Sometimes though, that desire to win and someone being stupid (certainly it's never me) makes me go all Spirlea on someone.

I've only had two matches where a line judge had to come out and monitor the court.  The first time was in Tampa when this guy from the north Georgia mountains was cheating and making really bad line calls on purpose.  This was the first time I noticed that we had distinct roles on our double team.  Grant winds me up, and I lose my mind.  I went and got the line judge, who was some poor volunteer who looked like he was about to pee his pants any moment.  Among other things, I told our cheating opponent "no wonder you don't play many of these tournaments-you're an a**hole and they probably don't let you down from the mountain much to join society."  I didn't mean it, but hey he was cheating and deserved it.  Another time, it was late in the third and this guy who I had played before was stalling, purposely trying to distract me, and was just being an utter pain in the fanny.  He was making some disastrously bad line calls.  I mean, when there's audible gasps from the crowd over his calls, well lets just say it was like a bunch of Grants winding me up.  After one particularly egregious line call I just yelled in frustration "You're a cheater, everyone knows it and that's why no one can stand you!  Your own friends can't even stand you!!!"  Oops-guess I didn't mean to say all that, but again, he had it coming.  He was cheating and he deserved it.  I think I had an incident last year in Louisville, but I'll spare you the details.  You get the drift.  Apparently I can be a little dramatic on court.

I promise to try to work on it.  Most of the time you'll see me laughing and having a great time on court.  But occasionally, just occasionally, you may also hear me say: 

"Hello my name is Thom, and I am a bit of a drama queen."



WTF!

I had a blog all written that I planned to get out with more information to get your ready for Louisville.

And then I went to Park Road Park to play tennis today.

I usually use the month leading up to a tournament to get ready for play-you know, get in a groove with my strokes, work on fitness, and schedule matches with lesser players to gain confidence- the usual.  I have been looking forward to this weekend, as I have four days off in a row with little to do.  Nothing planned!  Works been busy, I’ve had a couple out-of-town work retreats, and I’m taking a short session grad class.  I've been busy.  On top of that, I’ve been battling a hip injury for the past eight months or so that has limited my play. And now my shoulder wants in on the injury game. I’ve played like twice in the past month.

I was very excited to get out there and play this weekend.  I got to the courts and hit for about 25 minutes before I felt sick to my stomach, nauseas, and light-headed.  This is the second week in a row this has happened; only last week I actually vomited on the court.

WTF!

That’s what I was left thinking.  WTF!  When did this happen?  When did I get old?  When did my age start to interfere with my tennis playing ability?

Now mind you, I don’t think I’m “old” or at death’s door here.  I’ll be 40 this year, and I’m looking forward to it.  I know in the grand scheme of things I'm relatively young.  I’ve never had a problem with getting older like some of my friends.  But damn it, if getting older is going to interfere with my game, I don’t want any part of it.

I’m certainly no example of physical fitness, but I have had a certain level of fitness that allows me to compete.  It has become harder to maintain that level with injuries and the longer amount of time it takes to recover after physical activity.  Just a few short years ago I played tennis for six hours at a clip with my friends.  I can’t imagine what that would be like now.  It’s not uncommon to play up to four matches on the first day of a GLTA tournament.  I’m not even sure I could do that right now.  When did that happen?  I imagine it was right around the time I got old.

This has all gotten me thinking-what would it be like to not be able to play tennis anymore, to not be able to play these GLTA tournaments?  It’s not even something I want to think about right now.  I’ve gained so much from playing these tournaments-a sense of belonging, greater confidence, and some really great friends (met my best friend Grant, also my doubles partner for the past five years, at a tournament in Tampa one year).  At some point, physically, I will not be able to compete at these tournaments and I don’t like the thought of it.  I know that time is not now.  I guess I’m just feeling a little sorry for myself because I've been feeling age's pull lately and I can’t do what I have always done to get ready for these tournaments.

So for the next month, I’ll work hard on my fitness, take baby steps out there in the heat of the summer, stretch and eat right to help my body recover better, and just get ready for Louisville.  I’m not ready to give up these tournaments.  I’m not ready to give up on developing more friendships like I have over the past eight years of playing these tournaments. If you have any tips for me, let me know.  I’d love to hear about them.

And hey at the very least I can start playing the 40+ division this year.  I’d like to think I can still beat  up on the really old men out there.

P.S.-Today is the early-bird deadline to register for Louisville.  Enter today and you'll be included in a drawing for a free entry to next year's tournament.

What You Need to Know About the Tournament Site

If you have never played the Bluegrass before, you’re in for a treat.  The site for the tournament, the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center, is located on the campus of the University of Louisville. 

A short 10 minute drive from downtown where most players stay, there are eight outdoor and six indoor courts.  You never have to worry about rain delays that wipe out entire days of play like you do at other tournaments.  Play continues inside in inclement weather.  The courts are well maintained and have water courtside for the players.  If you look closely on court 8 you’ll find a chalked outline of my body where I was ran all over the court to my death by a speedy retriever last year. Other than this, it's an award winning facility.  Bring along your adoring fans because there are great spectator areas.  From courtside bleachers on many of the courts, to the balcony off the front of the building upstairs where you have a birds-eye view of most of the outdoor courts, there are many great places to watch all the action.

And the boys in Louisville aren’t just (allegedly) pretty, they’re clever too.  Each court is named after one of our current or past favorite WTA players.  From the Martina Hingis court to the Ana Ivanovic court (nobody wants to play on that court for fear they will automatically be prone to wild forehands, weird injuries, and serving yips), you’re sure to find some inspiration from your court’s namesake.  Although I must confess, these guys have an unhealthy obsession with Manuela Maleeva Fragniere.  Anyone know where this comes from?

A few other things you should know:

• It gets hot in Louisville in July!  Average temperatures over the 4th of July weekend usually push 90 degrees with 1,000% humidity.  I know, you're thinking there's no such thing as 1,000% humidity, but there is The Ville in July.
• It's great to play indoors, but it's hot in there too!  There's no air-conditioning inside, but at least you don't have to be in the blazing sun.
• There are locker rooms with showers that you can use between matches during the tournament.
• There's usually some breakfast foods and snacks available on site, but if you want more than that you'll need to bring your own.  There's a convinience store across the street from the tennis center, as well as a McDonalds.  Other than that, you'll need a ride to get anything else.
• Take a minute to look at the walls and soak in the rich tennis history at the U of L.  They're Cardinal proud, with good reason.

One last great thing to note about the tournament...all matches are played at this one facility.  Some tournaments have multiple sites, but not here.  You can play all your matches and watch your buddies play without having to trudge between two sites.

So have you registered yet?  Register for the tournament before May 29th and you'll be entered into a drawing for a free entry for the 2012 Bluegrasss Open.  What are you looking forward to at this year's tournament?

Getting Ready for The Bluegrass Tennis Open, July 2-4, 2011

Hey there tennis fans!  I'm Thom Shepard and I will be writing a blog leading up to the 2011 Bluegrass Tennis Open.  The Bluegrass is a stop on the GLTA World Tour.  The 2nd  edition of this, tournament is sponsered by the Tennis Alliance of Louisville Kentucky (TALK) and will be held over the 4th of July holiday weekend.

I know you're wondering, why is he writing a blog, and what could he have to share with me that's important?  Well the answer is simple...this is one of my favorite stops on the tour and one of the places I've had the most fun.  It was the first tournament I played, what seems like a 100 years ago, but was probably more like five or six years ago.  I had no idea what to expect, and I was inimdated  by what I would encounter at my first "gay tennis tournamnet".  I mean, I was wondering, what is a "gay tennis tournament" anyway? 

What I hope to do between now and the time we show up in Louisville for the tournament is take a sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, and hopefully always helpful look at what you can expect at the tournament and how you can best prepare for the competition.  I'll share some information about the tournament itself, the city of Louisville (I love it!) and some of the fun times you'll have and the people you may meet when you're there.  I'm not part of the planning committee, so I'm not an official communication vehicle for the tournament, but I will work to help get their information out there for you too.  And I want to hear from you about what you want to hear about!  This will work best if we start some conversation here.  I'm no more of an expert than you.  Share what you know here.  I'm going to try to post two to three times a week leading up to the tournament.

So there you have it.  I hope this will be helpful and fun.  In the meantime, if you haven't already, you can like the 2011 tournament on facebook.  And let me know-what do you want to know about leading up to the tournament?  You have any funny stories to share about a past trip to Louisville?  Let me know!

Thom