National Physical Fitness and Sports Month Bill Towler Shares His Tennis Story

In honor of May being National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, USTA League players will be sharing stories as to how being a part of a local USTA League has kept them fit and active.

Bill Towler is the President of USTA Oklahoma, and below shares his first-person account of what a difference USTA Leagues have meant for him. 

My name is Bill Towler. I am 59 years old and started playing tennis again, after about a 25 year layoff, 12 years ago. While I had always maintained good physical fitness (i.e., going to the gym and exercising regularly), other than just wanting to stay in shape, I had no real motivation for working out.  

I had just started hitting again by participating in a drill group at a local municipal facility close to where I lived.  A gentleman approached me and said, “hey, looks like you have played tennis before. Would you be interested in playing on a USTA League team?”  My response – “what’s that?”

Fast forward 12 years:

• I met my wife thru tennis

• I have been on 3 teams that went to Nationals and Captained 2 of those

• I am in my third year serving as President of USTA Oklahoma

• I serve on the USTA Missouri Valley Board of Directors

• I serve on the Oklahoma Tennis Foundation Board of Directors

• I serve on the USTA National Committee for Diversity and Inclusion

• And, I love to play singles.

Fitness is essential to maintaining a high level of play in tennis, regardless of what level you are playing.  While most of our local league matches are played in the evening, we do play on Saturday and Sundays and the playoffs are all played outside in the heat.  Being prepared physically and mentally for the challenge is critical to one’s success.

I now train to play tennis. I really do not care what my physique looks like.  I care about my ability to be the most physically fit player on the court. However, the upside to a regular training regime, eating relatively healthy and staying fit is that you do not put on the extra pounds.

Tennis is my motivation to stay fit. When I train, I am thinking about how will this help me on the court – not what I look like at the beach.  The cardio intensity of my training benefits me on the court. If the match is about fitness I always feel like I have an advantage. Now, if it comes down to tennis there is no question I am very often not the most talented.  But being fit gives you a strategic advantage – especially in the heat.

Additionally, I cannot emphasize enough how tennis, and the social aspects of the game, keep me mentally healthy. The social community that is wired around tennis is like a big family that always has your back.

There is a reason playing tennis extends your life expectancy more than any other sport.  To play tennis you have to be fit. Eating somewhat healthy helps you maintain that fitness, and the social aspects of the game keep you engaged mentally as well as physically.

So go play USTA Adult League tennis, have some fun and stay fit!!

To learn more about USTA League and to find a play opportunity near you, click here.