Back in the swing
Super Senior Tennis Program gets players on their feet and on their game again
If you think tennis is played with fuzzy white balls and wooden rackets, it’s time you visited a local tennis court. For those ages 50 and over, a good way to do this is with Albuquerque’s Super Senior Tennis Program, held every spring.
A year ago, Vinnie Taibbi, 65, picked up a tennis racket for the first time. An electrical contractor, he had retired three years before. “I was going crazy in retirement,” he said. “I wanted something to do. I mean, how many times can you clean the garage?”
By chance, he came across a copy of Prime Time magazine. It had information on tennis lessons and competition for seniors. “I thought, hey, what do I have to lose?”
Turns out he had a lot to lose. Taibbi, 5-foot-6, weighed 280 pounds. In high school in Massapequa, N.Y., he played football, he wrestled and did track. “Then I went off to college and discovered a love for beer.”
Undaunted by his heaviness, Taibbi signed up for the Super Senior Program. He was placed in a group that took instruction from Joe Felice at the Sierra Vista West Tennis Complex, on the West Side.
The Super Senior Program, which meets twice a week for group lessons, was just what he needed, Taibbi said. “We started slowly and learned backhands and serving. Joe didn’t rush through things. Everybody stayed on the same page. Everybody was so friendly, it was refreshing.” Later, the group took part in roundrobin matches for six weeks.
When the Super Senior Program ended, Taibbi continued to play tennis last summer, often five days a week. He now weighs 230.
Theresa Martinez-Metzgar, 56, also took part in last year’s Super Senior Program. Years ago, she played tennis for Rio Grande High. She went on to major in physical education at the University of New Mexico. For 15 years, she taught physical education at Alamosa Elementary School in the South Valley. She followed that by working for the Bernalillo County Parks and Recreation Department.
She played little tennis during that time, and she missed it. “I wanted to get back into the swing of things, no pun intended.” The Super Senior Program helped to fill a hole in her life. “I think I am better at tennis now than I was in high school.”