jamescuarterodotcom

i’ve been playing a ton of tennis since spring arrived in full force - at least 4-5 days a week with three or four different hitting partners. i started using a new racquet, the prince triple threat bandit. that’s a hilarious mouthful right there. it plays a lot softer than i’m used to and feels a more head-light as well. in fact, it kind of reminds me of the pro staff 6.5 i used to play with back in the day but more maneuverable. it’s very easy on touch shots and spin. after using a longbody the past few years it’s strange to go back to a standard-length racquet but i’m getting used to it. i still have a few weeks to go where i can blame it for my shanked shots.

been playing at some different courts as well. there are two secluded courts at a playground on 11th and ludlow that are in good shape. in jersey, i’m down at the hammonton middle school a couple of times a week, which has six courts (two lit). sterling high school’s courts are decent (five courts, no lights) but you have to put up with a ton of distractions, such as traffic, an electric gate that beeps open every couple of minutes, kids cutting through to get to and from the baseball fields and the fact that half of those kids know me. lindenwold high’s courts are fairly new and lit but then again, it’s in lindenwold. there are finally new nets at washington lake park but the ones at the old bethel mill park are still my favorite south jersey courts.

i’m joining a south jersey team this summer in a non-usta sanctioned league. it’s totally laid-back and the players are really good; i’m tired of the ultra-competitiveness of people who never won anything as juniors that pervades usta league tennis. the SJL follows the college format of six singles and three doubles and you can play both. trying to decide between two teams, pitman and hammonton. pitman’s lineup is pretty full so i’m not sure how often i’d get to play. i’m fairly certain i’d get a high singles spot on hammonton but they seem to have a thin roster. i mean, they have a 14-year old playing singles. now that i think about it, i think i was playing league tennis at that age too so it’s probably not that big of a deal. the first match is next saturday so i have to decide sooner rather than later.

there’s a part of me that’s saying that all or this tennis talk is totally setting me up to break my ankle on the courts the next time i’m out.