CAMARADERIE ON THE COURT
TENNIS GROUP BENEFITS BOTH PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL FITNESS
Chilly winter temperatures mean outdoor tennis courts typically aren’t put to good use but it doesn’t mean the game isn’t alive and well locally. About 20 minutes from Pottstown, Hillcrest Tennis and Field Sports in Exeter Township offers six indoor courts to provide those with a love of the game an opportunity to keep it up when extreme weather is more apt to interrupt regular playtime.
Every Monday, from September through May, you can find a game of doubles on Court 3 made up of Janice Chappie, 77, of Fleetwood; Lisa Hvizda, 67, of Sinking Spring; Catherine Delcamp, 78, of Fleetwood; and Gail Deckman, 65, also from Sinking Spring.
“Tennis saved my life,” said Deckman, who explained the game provided her with a necessary outlet during the time she was raising a child with special needs. “Now I have all these friends.”
Deckman was first introduced to tennis in her 40s when her daughter began taking lessons and someone suggested she try it out. Hvizda, a retired teacher, began playing in the 1970s when she was around age 14; Delcamp, also a retired teacher, started when she was in high school; and Chappie who is a retired tennis instructor and current author of children’s books, began playing at Hillcrest in 1980s when it was known by its previous name: Vantage Point.
“I met all three ladies here through contract tennis,” said Chappie, who, along with the others, holds a contract with Hillcrest, which entitles them to discounted
weekly court time from September through May. Chappie was subbing in for various games of doubles when a new group of doubles began to take shape, representing this group of players she gets together with on Mondays.
At one point, everyone in the group played competitive tennis through the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Today, the game serves the purpose of an outlet for physical activity and more.
“It’s the camaraderie and being with other women,” Hvizda said of one of the