After seeing the my fellow 3.5 boys had gone to the National in 2009 and myself won an impossible match that boast my confident considerably, I decided to join an USTA team myself.
I quietly (yes .. I did worry if I was good enough to make a team .. so told no one) sent an email to the Long Island coordinator and when she had enough players she formed a team. Our team captain is a veteran who works at a tennis club, which would be our home base.
One day Simon asked me what do I do this winter. I told him that I joined a team.
“Sign me up.” He said, without asking where what, who and when.
Surely partner. Our team was looking for players. Actually every team is perpetually looking for good players.
A few days later, another friend heard from Simon and asked to join with her husband.
Yes ma’am, why not. I was about to run to shout to my captain.
Then they asked who else were on the team.
“I don’t know anyone.” I said.
They were surprised. “You don’t know anyone? Why did you join??”
Cause I wanted to play ..
Then the voice grew louder: why don’t we form a team?
OMG, that’s a GREAT idea. Count me PLEASEY.
The timing was great. The playing circle I was in, was mostly boys. After nearly a decade playing, or better yet, trained by them, I grew more confident and could hit the ball over the net.
Who’s captain I asked.
Oh no, everyone was looking at me.
You’re kidding right?
They said they were NOT.
When electing the leader, we Chinese would threw in the worst candidate first, like a court jester to warm up the crowds, to entertain and to shame the better qualified man or woman to step forward. The position would go round two, more nominations and polite refusals, sometimes even round three. Irene being a simpleton, and against my best judgment, I accepted. Eagerly nodded her head the first time. It must have surprised them as much as myself.
At the recruiting time, Ping the well respected champion whom I thought would be the captain, word to word fed me the following line:
“Irene, please do not say I want him to join .. just tell him that I already signed up.”
It worked like magic. We’ve a full and strong squad in no time.