All-New Men’s League Arrives in Columbia

“I said: ‘Well, I’ve been a captain before. I’m willing to do it. I’ll help find some players,’” Wesselman said. “My wife and I were out playing, and I saw other men playing who looked like they were good tennis players or just enjoying it. I started walking up to them and introducing myself. ‘Hey, do you play in any USTA leagues or have you? Would you want to?’ I ended up meeting a lot of nice guys and good players and got a good team together.”

Wesselman kept working at it as Farid relayed to him the prospective league was looking like a go. While Wesselman was out recruiting players at Fairview Park, Cosmo Park and Bethel Park, Aaron Gray agreed to step up and lead a team of his own. Gray — whose brother in Little Rock, Ark. told him how much fun USTA leagues were — had never before participated in anything USTA-related.

“I just wanted to help grow men’s tennis in Columbia,” Gray said. “I know Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield have pretty vibrant leagues and tennis communities. It always surprised me there really weren’t any men’s tennis leagues in Columbia or mid-Missouri. I wanted to do my part to help organize. It seemed like there was enough guys who play at different courts or clubs. If we can get the ball rolling and get something organized, there will be more guys who want to join and play.”

Thanks to the efforts of Farid, Wesselman, Gray and others, the new 40 & Over 3.5 Columbia men’s league got underway in April and is off to a strong start. Three teams and a total of about 25 men are participating in the inaugural season, with matches taking place at Bethel Park on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m.

Each team is slated to play six matches, with the league winner advancing to take on the winner of a Springfield-based league. The victor in that head-to-head battle moves on to the USTA Missouri Valley Section Championship, and the top team there progresses to USTA Nationals.

“Most of the players have never been in a USTA league,” Wesselman said. “When we found somebody who was interested, we said: ‘Do you have any friends? If you know somebody, let’s get them involved too if they want.’ Some guys are playing who never really played much doubles. League format is one singles player and three doubles teams. We’ve had practices, and the guys have had a lot of fun getting together and getting to know each other. It’s been really good.”

Gray credited Farid for helping make the long-awaited league a reality. He noted with women in Columbia also competing in league play, the local tennis community has made some major strides in a short amount of time.

“It’s just cool going from nothing for a few years to multiple leagues of different ages,” Gray said. “It needed somebody with the experience, time, expertise and go-get-it mentality to get it off the ground. Farid has done a great job organizing and connecting people. She really has a pulse on tennis in Columbia. She is one of the better-connected tennis people in Columbia. She was just the perfect person to step into that role and get things going.”

Wesselman said Farid has gone the extra mile. She brought cheese and crackers to his team’s opening match, enabling players to hang out, snack and better get to know each other instead of heading for home right away. Wesselman said any guy who’s interested in joining the league or even simply practicing should get in contact with Farid. She can be reached at sewfarid@gmail.com.

“It’s been so nice to have other players we can just go out and play with,” Wesselman said. “Even the guys on the other teams — we’re able to communicate with them. It’s not something where we’re going to battle each other every Tuesday. We don’t care whose team they are on. We want to get guys out there and get some tennis going in Columbia. It’s been fun. It’s been great all around. Everybody looks forward to those Tuesday nights.”

Participating league players range in age from their early 40s to their mid-70s. Gray said the new league has been a terrific on-the-fly learning experience. He’s enjoyed the competitiveness and recognizing what facets of his game need improvement.

“It’s awesome to be a part of it,” Gray said. “I hope we can lay the foundation and help grow this in Columbia. I would love to see some USTA tournaments in Columbia eventually. Committing to a league is a little bit hard, but maybe a one-day tournament we can get additional people to come out for. I hope we’re able to have more opportunities for men to play competitive USTA matches and leagues.”