Nebraska Group Mixes Tennis With Book Club
“Let’s start a book club!” were the famous words of four Lincoln women, who after finishing up a game of doubles and realized they all had a common love of not only tennis, but reading. The rest, as they say, is history. The group of about ten tennis fanatics started up in 2017, and has been going strong ever since that day on the court. A couple book club members moved, others added, and some even moved back and re-joined the book club. Dyan Herron was one of them.
“Although tennis is a social sport, we really don’t get much time to chat on the courts! Our book club allows us more time to socialize, and expand our friendships by talking about so many different topics,” Herron said.
“I joined because I love to read, and I enjoy that this book club exposes me to books I likely wouldn’t have picked up,” said Carina Olivetti.
“I love books and especially love talking about the books I read with others, and I enjoy going to my friend’s homes,” said Terri Dunlap. “I am glad that not all books are tennis-themed.”
Each month, one person selects a book of their choosing and hosts it at their home, or a local restaurant. During the get-together, the members talk about the book, usually with a list of questions, and finds out what the other members thought of it. At some point, the talk almost always veers back to tennis, since that is their common bond.
“We all play tennis together on the court, but we're not just tennis friends; this gives us something to enjoy with each other off the court,” said one of the founding members, Tammy Tegler. “The group is full of people I really like, and I love that we have multiple interests and hobbies that we like to share with each other!”
“I originally joined the book club because I love to read and to meet with my tennis friends outside of tennis,” added Shannon Brinkman. “It gave me another chance to get to know these ladies on a different level.”
Even during the pandemic, the tennis book club continued on. Meetings were set up via Zoom during the height of Coronavirus, and when things calmed down a bit, gatherings were held in backyards to allow for a safe distance. Advice for starting a book club? Just do it.
“Just start,” said Judy Scharmann. “Also, don't have too many people, but enough because everyone can't come every time.”
“Make sure you have one reliable organizer,” Dunlap added. “That’s what keeps it going.”
“I know lots of people who say: I wish I was in a book club!” Herron said. “You won’t have any problem finding members. It may help to have a common thread, like tennis, but your club can also be the only commonality that can stand on its own.”
During the holidays at the end of the year, a book exchange is held where each member brings a book wrapped in paper with only the first sentence written down. They are then swapped out and each person goes home with a new book. The perfect gift for anyone in a book club.
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