A First-Person Experience at a USTA League Section Championship

For the first time in my adult tennis career, I was headed to a USTA Section Championship. The 40 & Over sectionals were held August 26-28 in Tulsa, OK, at the Case Tennis Center at LaFortune Park. This facility was top-notch, with 21 outdoor courts in a beautiful setting, with plenty of shaded areas and room for spectators too. Our 4.0 team made the 6.5-hour trek from Lincoln on Thursday, since we had a 7 a.m. match bright and early Friday morning. The host hotel was a lovely Hilton Garden Inn that was a quick drive to the facility.

Our team of seven, which is the bare minimum since 40 & over has 3 doubles courts and one singles court, arrived in darkness at the Case Tennis Center. None of us have ever played under the lights in the morning! We hoped no one would get injured, as there were no subs for anyone on our team. Next time the USTA should think twice before scheduling Sectionals during the Huskers opening day weekend 😉

Our first match against St. Louis was not what we had hoped for, but we went back to the hotel, showered, had breakfast, re-grouped and came back for a noon match. This time the team won two matches, our singles player and me and my partner, which resulted in a 2-2 split. Then it came down to the number of games. Unfortunately, we did not get the win for that one either. However, our spirits were lifted from the first match, and even got to experience some sportsmanship from the Kansas team. One of our doubles teams played a point that was reversed in our favor.

“I saw the ball go out and called it out, but my partner said ‘good shot’,” said Nancy Johnson, team Nebraska. “I knew that it was out, but since she said good shot, I felt I needed to give the point to the other team. The player who did NOT hit the ball on the opposing team, said she too saw that the ball was out and let us have the point. I feel like it showed good sportsmanship all around.”