Overheard at Kim's 50th

Kim walked into her 50th birthday party at Le Club and gave a little "Hey, what's up?" shrug. Easy-breezy, maybe because she's been claiming to be 50 for the past two years. Here she is with her mom, Rosemary, who's lovely and gracious — very much like Kim.

Then we did not see Kim for a little while because we went to play tennis. I had a blast getting schooled by Lisa, Kristen, and Tash. We managed to keep Tash on the court for the full hour and a half. Good times.

I felt like a kid in a candy store — or maybe more like a kid at a birthday party — when I saw the smorgasbord of food: pizza, pizza, pizza (seriously, there were so many pizzas, but my favorite was the buffalo chicken one, thank you Scott and Nora), wings, salads, chips, popcorn, candy, cake, and even adorable shortbread cookies shaped like teapots.

I have to give props to Jane C., who not only helped me frost cupcakes but also made the glossy, uniformly shaped chocolate letters. She also carved the little comma, which we included for symmetry as well as grammatical correctness. If only you could see it....

When I asked if Kim would hate having a bunch of candles, Mary said yes. "So we have to do it," she said.

There were so many people and so many conversations, it's hard to sum up. Instead, here are a few things I heard at the party. They are as close to verbatim as I remember; I'm going for "truthiness" here:

"My grandma's 82 and her boyfriend is 55."

"If I were 90, I could see dating someone who's 75."

"Let's get a picture. Tash? Tash! Put down the food."

"You cannot quote The Wire."

"I didn't know we were doing candles. That's why I ate the P."
Kim: "Why didn't you just eat the rest and ruin my 'birthday'?"

"We didn't get schooled on the court. We got spanked."

"You don't have any compassion now that you're 50?"

It was tennis and dinner and pretzel M&Ms with lots of fun people. It is only through tennis that I get to go to parties on Monday nights — a beautiful thing.

So thank you, Rebekah, Mary, and Glenna for throwing a great bash. Kim, you too. We couldn't have done it without you!

Tennis 2012: Le Club team party

Friday night our 4.0 team celebrated the season at Jessica's house. Her husband, Dennis, grilled a tenderloin — a huge chunk of meat. Red meat and red wine (especially together) are two things that always remind me how good life is.

It appeared that cheese was the unofficial theme of the evening. Glenna brought cheese, cheese, and cheese (I don't remember the three kinds, except that I ate them all while we drank wine on the patio). And Rebekah made cheesy potatoes and a potato salad — a bit of a digression from her assigned side, hummus.

Jessica's home is beautiful, and we ate dinner by the fireplace, with Goldens Copper and Toby wandering by to check out the scene. At some point, Kim jokingly suggested that we each say something nice about each person in the room.

Rebekah got really into this, raising and waving her hand: "Ooh — and Ann: I really like how you set up courts and you include everybody!" She was not even deterred by Kim and Mary singing Kumbaya.

In the spirit of good sportsmanship, I'll be a team player. Here goes:

Ann: I'll always remember that you gave me my first shot at 4.0 and my first experience with combo. Thank you for always being so generous and welcoming.

Glenna: You have incredible poise and truly know how to calm people down. (I wasn't joking about how helpful you were at the first match.) I also respect your forehand and knowledge of cheese.

Jessica: I love your decisiveness in managing a team of strong-willed women. Thank you for captaining a great season and hosting a wonderful party. And someday I hope to hit as many down-the-line shots as you do.

Kim: We already know you're a great tennis player. But I knew we'd be friends when we talked about sandwiches and sleeping pills after my first match. I love being your token Asian friend even though I'm only good at basic math.

Kristen: In addition to having an enviable game, you never lose your mind when you play tennis. This is truly impressive and I've learned a lot from your calm, no-nonsense court presence.

Mary: You are one of the funniest people I've ever met: the garage jokes never got old. And I'm impressed by anyone who tells their opponents, "I'm not going to play a third set."

Nora: You give spot-on advice in matters of the heart. Our talk at Western was one of the high points of my season. (Of course, the way we got treated at Western was one of the low points, but why focus on the negative?)

Patrice: How lucky was I that we got thrown together four seasons ago? So many of my best tennis experiences have been with you, and you're a dear friend, Nooni.

Rebecca: You are a great player and so unbelievably cheerful. Really, I would not believe it if I didn't aleady know you from high school. And thanks for supplying the entire team with Gatorade at the Milwaukee Country Club match. You're a good egg.

Rebekah: Your excellent backhand is rivaled only by your cheesy potatoes. And your enthusiasm about this blog is so encouraging (writing can be a lonely pursuit — much less so with an audience).

Sandy: You're a terrific player, but I am even more blown away by your team spirit. You go the distance to support your teammates, and you never have an unkind thing to say about anyone (even if you did nickname me "Mother").

Tash: On and off the court, I admire your dynamic and dramatic personality. And I applaud your courage in drinking both beer and wine. Regardless of the college sayings, the grain and the grape make a daunting combination.

Kumbaya.

Tennis 2012: Le Club, Week 8

Le Club vs. Le Club. I looked forward to this match because it's Yvonne's team, and she is one of my favorite tennis people — a great competitor and a supportive teammate. So I knew it would be a fun night.

At #1 singles, it was Jessica vs. Laurie. Their match took more than two hours. Two. Hours. After two hours of slamming the ball back and forth, Laurie ultimately took it, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6. Jessica, that was an amazing effort — you really stayed in it after a tough start.

Kristen (#2 singles) was sitting and calmly eating a sub when Patrice and I came off the court. Because she'd been on Court 10 and we were on Court 3, I didn't get to see her play. "How did your match go?" I asked. "Good," she said. I found out later that her score was 7-5, 6-0. Nicely done, Kristen — and I like the quiet humility. Which, come to think of it, is totally you.

At #1 doubles, Tash and Rebecca won, 6-2, 6-4. I was two courts away from them so I can't give any details. Though, I do recall that Tash had a migraine. Way to play through it! Sorry I wasn't more observant about the match — though, did I hear Rebecca yelling at herself? I wish I had hung out with both of you for a post-game interview. Next year I'll do better!

At #2 doubles, Mary and Rebekah stayed tough, winning 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. They had some really great, aggressive points (love it!). Plus, it's impressive to take the last two sets after losing the first. Nice mental toughness and skilled play!

At #3, Patrice and I were also put to the test. At first, we had trouble with Irina's angle shots and overheads. And the pace seemed slow until we figured out their one up/one back strategy. Oh-kay! Down 1-4, we came back to take it 6-4, 6-4. Nice job, Nooni!

Great job, Team, on the 4-1 win — a strong finish to the season. By the way, both Le Club teams finished with a 22-18 record and 41 sets lost. We did lose fewer games (367 to their 406). So numbers-wise, we were evenly matched.

Reluctant to see the season end, I lingered at Le Club. I caught up with Kelly, mingled with Nora and Kim and the Highlander men's team, watched the Olympics, drank red wine, and ate peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Finally I could not stay any longer.

But at least I'll get to go back tomorrow to play some doubles. So I'll see you soon, Teammates.

Tennis 2012: Le Club, Week 7

In yesterday's twist of fate weather-wise, the temperature dropped more than 20 degrees by the time we arrived at Milwaukee Country Club. (Which was good, because I don't do well if it's above 100 degrees — as anyone who played with me on Monday night can attest.) After starting our matches, it rained.

Sigh. Small talk. Waiting.

Finally we got to play.

Despite the stop-start nature of the weather, every match was decided in straight sets. Our team lost, 2-3.

At #1 singles, Jessica lost 6-2, 6-3. What I love most about you is that you're not an excuse-maker. Like in your assessment of your opponent: "She was good." Undefeated, even.

Mary played cardio tennis earlier in the day and then #2 singles indoors at North Shore. Too much exertion in anticipation of a heat advisory? Not for Mary. She won, 6-4, 6-2, because she decided she wouldn't play a third set. Way to dominate at singles. Again!

At #1 doubles, Kim and Kristen gave their opponents a challenging match. Their opponents ultimately took it, 7-5, 6-1. Incidentally, Kristen was the only one of our teammates who wore white. Um, when did this become a rule? Clearly there's some etiquette I am not privy to.

At #3 doubles, Tash and Rebecca played phenomenally. Rebecca ran all over the court — was it the Gatorade? Their opponents hit overheads right at Tash and she just volleyed them back. No problem. Terrific win, Team Tashbecca, and wonderful that the last match ended on a high note.

I wish our match had gone longer. Patrice and I tried really, really hard at #2 doubles. We lost the first set quickly. Our only lead was at 1-0 in the second set. We actually made the rallies longer, trying to lob and outdo them with consistency (until they made a mistake, and then Nooni would put away an overhead). They were up 5-4 but we won the next game. Then they were up 6-5.

At 40-30, they hit a forehand volley winner to win 6-2, 7-5.

After our first set shellacking, we could've just given up, but we didn't. So even though "We can't win them all" is but small consolation, I am really happy with our determination and effort.

And Sandy, thanks for trekking to MCC to cheer all of us on. Your encouragement and analysis were really helpful. Now if only I could get you to be the team blogger....

Tennis 2012: Le Club, Week 6 (the team)

Our team hosted Pleasant Valley yesterday, earning a 4-1 win.

Thanks to Jessica and Mary for staying late to give me match details and discuss the merits of not drinking beer. Sorry this is so brief, but Rebekah's jonesing for the recap and I have to get back to my day job.

At #3 doubles, Ann and Nora battled a tenacious team and lost 7-5, 7-6. Matches like that are so exhilarating and heartbreaking. I saw only a little bit of your match, but I know you fought hard.

At #2 doubles, Kim and Glenna finished their match quickly with a 6-1, 6-4 win. So Kim must have felt okay despite the Kopp's cheeseburger and malt an hour before the match. Glenna, I did get a few glimpses of your picture-perfect forehand. Congrats to both of you on your decisive win!

On the #1 court were Patrice and me. You can read about it in a separate superlong post. (Rebekah will tell you that I've included every thought I had during the match. The match took 2 hours and 20 minutes. What can I say, I had a lot of thoughts.)

At #2 singles, Mary told her opponent, "I'm not going to go three sets" and "You don't run an old lady back and forth." Her opponent, who is also a friend, obliged: Mary had a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Nice job on your total domination.

At #1 singles, Jessica won the first set 6-2. She mentioned footwork, "an amazing volley" (only one?!), and an "I'm too old for this" moment. (Were all of those during the same point?) Unfortunately, her opponent retired with a strained calf. A real bummer. But Jessica, I know you would've controlled the match, like you always do.

Okay everybody, thanks for all the support. Kristen, Sandy, and Rebekah, it was so nice to see friendly faces in the crowd. I started this season feeling anxious about how it would go, but I didn't need to worry. This team makes me feel totally at home.

Tennis 2012: Le Club, Week 6 (Team Noonimoto)

At #1 doubles, I recognized one of our opponents from a match last year: Linda was tall, aggressive, and confident — and strong in the warmup. Her partner, Pam, was consistent and had terrific touch volleys.

On Court 7, we fought to take the first set, 6-2. The score did not reflect how competitive they were.

Down 2-4 in the second, Patrice and I tried not to get frustrated. "I was here on Friday, down 2-4," I said. "We can get the next four games." We had accomplished such things in the past.

But they toughed it out, started hitting more winners, and took the set 6-3.

During the break, Nooni and I strategized. In the first set, she had mentioned our maturity as an advantage. Totally! Staying calm and poised would help us. We talked about being resilient between points — something that our pro Jayson had drilled us on. It is hard to play a long point and then refocus for the next one and the one after that.

And I had practiced this when I played singles with Sandy on Sunday. Sandy is one of those players who forces you to play your best, and I needed every advantage I could get. Thank you for preparing me for this match.

Linda and Pam were up 3-2.

Here's where some of the details get fuzzy. I do remember seeing rows of people standing at the windows. I recognized Glenna's patterned tennis skirt when I went to retrieve a ball. But I couldn't look at her. I didn't want to lose focus. And how could she help me telepathically?

I do remember this: We tied, then were up 6-5. Then they won the next game.

Bummer. We couldn't close out the set when we had the chance. But we had to move past that, because we were still in the match.

This was my first tiebreak of the season. And it had been over a month since Nooni and I played together. Good thing we've played so many tiebreaks (and she had played one earlier this season at 8.0 mixed, and won).

Linda and Pam were tough. Changing servers and sides so often, it was hard to get into a rhythm. We were down 5-6. Match point.

Patrice served — and won — the next two points. How's that for poise and resilience between points? 7-6.

Time to switch sides again. I exhaled. I have to remember to breathe during really competitive moments.

Patrice returned serve. I don't remember how we won the point, just that we did.

6-2, 3-6, 7-6. A comeback.

After any given match, you can say, "That could've gone the other way." It's rare to have those nights where you dominate or get killed. Most matches become wars of attrition, where you just try to grind it out and chip away at your opponent. Tonight was one of those nights.

A satisfying win for the maturing Noonimoto.

Tennis 2012: Le Club, Week 5

Our team faced stiff competition at Western, resulting in a 1-4 night.

The win: Kim and Kristen at #3 doubles. Because you were on the farthest court, I didn't get to see most of your match. But I was standing right there when Kristen put away the overhead on match point. 6-4, 6-1. Well done! Post match, Kristen stretched while Kim applied Stila lip gloss. Kristen, nice poise as always. And Kim, way to look pretty and kick ass.

Playing indoors, Sandy lost the first set 6-3 and did not feel well, retiring at 1-1 in the second. She had been up 3-0 in the first set — clearly a competitive match. Sandy, we are all rooting for you personally (as well as on the court). So rest up and take good care of yourself.

At #1 doubles, Tash and Rebecca's opponents were tough — especially the lady in yellow — and took the first set 6-2. But Team Tashbecca (Team Retasha?) fought back, losing the second set 7-5. I thought they played admirably and didn't quite understand why Tash was beating herself up over the loss.

I had gone to my car and then over to Court 3, so I missed what happened in the second set. Then I saw Nora's writing in my notebook: "2nd up!! 4-3." So now I get it. Down 5-6 and losing the match on a deuce point, I totally get it: That second set was within reach.

By the way, that is not a judgment. I'm just saying, I know how losing a close one can torment you in a different way than being overmatched.

At #2 doubles, Mary and Rebekah showed their tenacity: In the first set, down 0-3, they won the next two games. In the second set, down 1-4, they also won the next two games. I admire this so much — the spirit behind the scores. 6-2, 6-3 only tells part of the story; you two gave it your all. No one could ever ask for more.

We all wondered what was happening with Jessica, who doesn't like having an audience and was toiling away indoors. When she came off the court, she was frustrated with her 6-1, 6-3 loss. But I will say this: You had to have given your opponent a decent match because it took almost two hours. I know you don't roll over for anyone.

Overall, I had a fantastic time. Really! There I was, watching the team play on a sunny, 80-degree night. Western has great viewing. And I got a chance to hang out with Nora. So even though it was a tough night for the team, I feel grateful to have been there.

So I raise my glass of overpriced chardonnay to you. Cheers!

Tennis 2012: Le Club, Week 4

Yesterday our team took four courts against Mequon! Let me preface this by saying that all of this recap (except the scores) is hearsay; I didn't get to see any of the matches.

At #1 singles, Jessica won 6-3, 6-0. As someone who's been lulled by the moonball rally only to watch her slam a down-the-line shot past me, I know that she controlled the match — probably the entire time.

At #1 doubles, Kim and Kristen also had a resounding win, 6-1, 6-3. Really nice job. You're a terrific team and I wish I had gotten to see you play. You seem to finish your matches quickly; if you dragged them out, I could at least see you. (Joking.)

At #2 doubles, Tash and Rebecca stayed tenacious to take a three setter, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Unfortunately the only thing I heard about this match was that Tash took a bathroom break. Good to know that we're allowed 90 seconds. As a side note, it is nice to be on the same team again as Rebecca. You're still the same funny, bubbly person that I remember from high school.

At #3, Mary and Rebekah fought hard but lost, 6-1, 7-5. Having played them, this is surprising (Rebekah's pace, Mary's angles). Rebekah, help me out with some details here. This is possibly my worst recap ever, as it is almost entirely speculation.

One court left. Me at #2 singles.

SPOILER ALERT: The rest of this post is all about me.

Starting with my mood: I was so nervous that I could barely eat lunch. But I went to Jose's anyway, figuring it was time to get back to my match-day routine of Mexican food. My co-worker Mike said I'd be fine once I started playing. He's a musician, and he said, "You just have to get through the first song." And my co-worker Jane, who's a marathon runner, reminded me to visualize my match.

Just before the match, I got more pep talks. Carol told me to keep my poker face, Sandy encouraged me to enjoy the match, Trish said I was scrappy. All good things — confidence boosters.

Once the match started, I was happy with the relative isolation of Court 10, far from the viewing area and away from the rest of the team. Not knowing how any of my teammates were doing, I could focus.

My opponent was a hard hitter and really strong in the warmup. I had trouble keeping the rally going. But once we started the match, I felt really good. I got through the first song.

I took the first set, 6-2.

Then she started making fewer errors and hitting more winners, and I lost the second set, 6-2. I was still going for it, but she was out-playing me.

I went to splash cold water on my face ("Tomato face," Mary said).

But Mary and Glenna coached me. Here's what I can remember:

"What's her strongest shot?"
"Forehand down the line."
"What's her weakest shot?"
"I don't know!"
"Moonball her. Slow it down." And, "Backhand, backhand, backhand."

Possibly my favorite piece of advice: "You're not tired." Uh, I was really tired. But I felt good getting back on the court. I was not going to implode while they watched.

(It's just a thing, but I've always wondered if whoever takes the second set is the favored player; momentum is on their side.)

Somehow I stayed with it. I was up 4-1, then 5-2. Then I won the next game.

The most amazing thing happened during the match. Sure, winning was great. But so was feeling like myself on the court again. I think I got a little lost at the beginning of the season, but now I'm back.

So, my dear teammates, if I seem self-involved in this blog post, cut me a little slack. I'll get back to doubles (Team Noonimoto!) and then I'll also have plenty of time to witness your successes. Thanks for all of your support. This was one of the highlights of my tennis experience.

Cheers!

Tennis 2012: Le Club, Week 3

After Rebekah's request for a recap, I decided to blog about our team's matches. (Rebekah, I appreciate your enthusiasm, considering that you already know the results.) So here's my lightly editorialized summary of our meeting with the Badger team:

At #1 singles, Jessica lost a tough match, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Someone mentioned that your opponent used to be a 4.5. Tough, I'm just saying. You are terrific in those marathon matches (as we all saw last week at Highlander).

Sandy got her first 4.0 win in decisive fashion: 6-0, 6-1. Though you did try to trick us by reversing the color of the scorecards, the entire team was excited once we caught on. We are really proud of you!

At #1 doubles, Tash and Kristen won, 6-4, 7-6. Nice win against a solid team! I was too nervous to watch the tiebreak — not because I doubted you but because I have just been extremely high strung lately. (It could be something about Court 7.)

At #2 doubles, Mary and Rebekah cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory. It's good to see the two of you playing together. Mary, I love your all-business style of play. And Rebekah, I'm glad the "little surgery" you gave yourself helped your thumb.

On the third court, our opponents took it 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, but Ann and Nora were so tenacious! This is only my second year being teammates with you, but I've already seen so many triumphant tiebreakers. (One of the greatest was Jane and Nora at State combo playoffs, down 9-8 and coming back to win. I just love that!)

We celebrated our 3-2 team victory with really, really good sandwiches and, of course, booze.

If you want a reminder of Weeks 1 and 2, we went 0-5 against Oconomowoc High School and 4-1 against Highlander. I'll spare you the recaps because, well, that would be so two weeks ago. Instead, I'll look forward to more good times as the team historian.

Cheers, teammates!