When people think about their children playing tennis often the image of competitive tournaments and the college dream comes to mind. The competitive junior tennis scene is a fantastic journey in and of itself but this weekend I was reminded of the most important reasons to play tennis.

This is a picture of Al DeLuca. He was born in 1936 which makes him 87 years young. Mr. DeLuca and I met and became friends through tennis. He has played tennis his entire life and it has had a profound impact on him. He still hits tennis balls every Sunday with players in the program and has become a mentor to both them and myself.

This weekend in the frigid temperatures he still drove out to Lakevue to play. In doing that I was reminded of the real reason you want your children to play tennis. A quick Google search shows all of the studies stating that people who acquire the skills of hitting a tennis ball tend to play the sport for a lifetime. Studies show that playing tennis also adds approximately 10 years to your lifetime. The health and mental benefits of playing tennis are astounding!

Mr. DeLuca thank you for your inspiration to others. This past weekend you reminded me of the gift that coaching tennis truly is. I wish competitive success to everyone. Even more important is my hope that tennis helps them hopefully live a long and healthy life!