Game, Set, Ursulla: 34-year rally of fun, friendship, and tennis triumphs!

Since Ursulla saw the flyer and made the phone call, she was chosen to be the captain. She asked her three friends to submit names. “We settled on a name that Marcella Jones came up with - En Fun. At the time, there was a singing group called En Vogue. A little twist on the words, so it became En Fun, because we really enjoyed tennis. We really wanted to have fun, but we’re also competitive.” In the beginning, the ladies primarily recruited friends of friends, but they still needed more ladies on the team. Ursulla used her creativity to approach women at her Jack and Jill Club. Upon keenly spotting a woman wearing a tennis necklace, Ursulla asked “Do you play tennis? Do you want to join a team?” – resulting in an instant new team member.  

Over the years, Ursulla guided the team's growth from a casual start to a competitive force in the USTA League program, emphasizing the importance of kindness among players. “The first year, we came in 2nd place. The second year, we went to Sectionals. We started at 3.0 and eventually we all started playing 3.5 in much later years. One of the criteria for my team members is you have to keep the original En Fun philosophy -- you have to have an undeniable team spirit."

For Ursulla, tennis transcends a mere game; it's a blend of competition, exercise, and social interaction. “Tennis keeps you moving. It’s like exercise and having fun at the same time.  It’s always a challenge. That’s what keeps me interested. You can always get better.” As USTA Mid-Atlantic seeks to enhance tennis accessibility, Ursulla emphasizes the importance of USTA Mid-Atlantic’s role in organizing leagues and eliminating the need to search for playing partners due to TennisLink. “I tell people you need to join a league. You don’t have to search for partners. It’s very organized.”

The prospect of a state-of-the-art Tennis Campus in the Mid-Atlantic excites Ursulla, foreseeing benefits for local leagues like hers, reducing travel for regional competitive events. 

As USTA Mid-Atlantic celebrates its centennial, Ursulla takes pride in the organization's enduring impact. She commends  the organization's dedication in keeping it going for a significant 100 years, and would like to see increased outreach in public schools to involve more children in the sport. In describing tennis in the Mid-Atlantic, Ursulla succinctly captures its essence in three words: “organized, competitive, and fun.”  

Well, many would also agree that those words are the perfect description of the way Ursulla has led her teams for the last 34 years.

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