Testimony: My Tennis Career Was Fueled By An Olympic Dream

By the time I was a senior in High School in 1984, tennis had been reinstated as a trial sport in the Olympics.   I had been steadily improving since I first picked up a racquet in 1980, and quite honestly I thought that if I trained as hard as was humanly possible over the next four years that I had a legitimate shot at the 1988 Olympics.  And so the training began.

My life was like a Rocky movie.  I ran early in the morning, jumped rope, lifted weights, and even drank raw eggs like Rocky did.  (I only did that one time.)  I had a one track mind: Tennis.   And I continued to improve, but I realized after awhile that it was definitely a long shot dream to bring myself up to a world class level in time for the 1988 Olympics.  I was a late bloomer, but most of my contemporaries on the ATP tour started tennis when they were 5 years old and had professional training from the start.   Me...?   I was a poor kid from a small town in Texas that had focused primarily on baseball until he was 12 years old.

But oh how I loved tennis.  And I had a passion to see just how good I could become.  Life up to this point was 100% about me and my tennis career.   Along the way as a freshman in college my life was changed forever as I accepted Jesus into my heart as my Lord and Savior and realized that Jesus needed to be 'number one' in my life, not tennis.  God intended for me to use my tennis talents for His Glory, not my own.

As I continued to pursue my dream of becoming a professional tennis player, I discovered a coaching niche.  In the late 80's I became employed as a professional coach at John Newcombe's Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels and had an opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the world and train with some of the world's top junior tennis talent.

1988 came and went, and while my dream of playing tennis on the Olympic stage faded I realized a life in the tennis industry as professional tennis coach was a very attainable goal.  So I set out to become the best coach I could be, and my 'new dream' was now to impact others for Christ through tennis.

Watching the 2016 Olympics brought back fond memories of my life journey from hopeful future Olympian and professional tennis player to current day status as a husband, daddy, coach, and devoted follower of Christ.  God has been good and faithful to me,.  He has seldom given me what I 'wanted', but always given me what I 'needed'.

I am still a 'work in progress'.  At 50 years of age I believe my best tennis is still ahead of me.  I am still trying to become the best player and coach I can be.  Of course, I would love to one day help a very motivated young person achieve their dream of becoming a world class tennis player.   But that's up to God.  I am happy to just be faithful and use tennis opportunities to continue to share the love of Christ to those within my sphere of influence.  To God be the Glory, now and forever!