Saturday, June 24, 2006

A pleasure to serve

Adult players meet weekday mornings for 'fun' tennis sessions

Jessica Dyer News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jdyer@news-bulletin.com

Bosque Farms In his straw cowboy hat and black jeans with striped suspenders, there was no mistaking Jack Cooley for Pete Sampras last week at the Bosque Farms tennis courts.

And even with her dark, oversized sunglasses, 81-year-old Corene Honeyfield of Peralta would never pass for Anna Kournikova.

The adult players who gather Monday through Friday mornings at the Bosque Farms courts aren't engaging in high-stakes tennis. There are no million-dollar paydays to speak of; no Nike contracts at stake.

The local players prefer to keep the atmosphere relaxed and neighborly for their year-round meetings.

Cooley, in fact, drew hearty laughs from his peers when he recently reminisced about a certain player whose intense approach to tennis was never quite in line with the group's overall philosophy.

"Remember that ol' boy who came from Albuquerque a few years ago? I was playing with him, and I missed one, and I laughed. Remember he scolded me and said, 'Who in the hell ever told you tennis was supposed to be fun?'" Cooley recalled to the delight of his tennis friends. "I said, 'When it gets to be where it isn't fun anymore, I won't be here.'"

The "Bosque Farms Informal Tennis Club" — as it was casually dubbed by founder Emil Schandl-- is about having fun, staying active and making friends.

Since 1986, a small group of adults have gathered for an hour's worth of tennis each weekday morning in Bosque Farms. The players, who hail from across Valencia County, don't have set partners but instead rotate in and out of games. The mood is light. Hitting the ball into the net is hardly cause for a frown, let alone an outburst.

"We don't want people to yell. We're there to have a good time. We're there to win and to play, but our main focus is to have a good time," said 71-year-old Camille Segretto of Los Lunas, noting that the integrity of the game is upheld even during the nonchalant sessions. "We follow the rules the exact way tennis is supposed to be played. It's not that casual."

There is no membership fee and no age or skill requirements for the group. Although the summer months tend to draw a few younger adults on summer vacation, the crowd is comprised mostly of retirees.

Schandl — who started the group with his wife 20 years ago — is the oldest in the bunch at age 86.

Despite their maturity, most of the players had little or no tennis know-how prior to hitting the Bosque Farms courts.

Segretto, a New York transplant, said her inexperience was never an issue.

"I wanted to learn how to play tennis, and they taught me, and I love it. It's a great way to start the morning. I wanted to be outdoors, and it's such a good way to be outside," said Segretto, adding that she never felt intimidated. "It was real pleasant. It was really wonderful. They had a lot of patience with me, especially my serve. It took me a long time to serve."

Segretto still considers herself a relative novice. It's a feeling shared by Corene Honeyfield, who attends the morning sessions with her husband, Don. She didn't take up tennis until she was in her 60s.

"It was pathetic what I did at first. It's still pathetic," she says with a laugh.

Although they play legitimate tennis — you can't play a ball after you've let it bounce twice on your side, for instance — members pride themselves on the group's friendly, nurturing atmosphere.

The players say they encourage any adult with the urge to play tennis to join them. During the summer, they meet from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on the courts outside Bosque Farms Village Hall. The sessions are held later during the colder months.

"We welcome anyone who wants to play," Schandl said.

Added Don Honeyfield, "Be sure you put that in (the newspaper) — anyone who wants to come join us, they're welcome."

Straw cowboy hat and suspenders optional.

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