LAST WEEK’S RECAP | November 18 – 24, 2013
WEDNESDAY
It was quite a sight to see 5-6 players stretch after they finished playing. I took pictures as proof.
A player from Tenafly asked his Tenafly buddy to spot him for the party fee. They joked a bit and I said the spottee should treat and the spotter should order the finest from the dinner menu. Good friends outside of tennis, I’m sure they’re always treating each other nicely.
THURSDAY
Two players stretched after their play. I took the opportunity to show the picture of the Stretchers from the night before. See, the proof came in handy!
FRIDAY
There were a few newcomers this week. One said “I am excited and looking forward to a good dosage of Tennis. Just to make sure I am equipped well, I want to understand how things work at this meetup. Since this is a 8pm – 1 AM event, do people typically grab food and have dinner during a break?” I can tell you that he was nicely surprised to see ample food and refreshments but more importantly, he told me he really enjoyed the tennis. Nothing makes me happier to hear that!
A player from NYC reported the next day – “Uggh Penny Lane I can barely walk… Was super fun. Need a disco nap.” He went on to do a Halloween Scavenger Hunt Bike Ride in NYC and came to the Saturday party the next day. What a trooper!
A player from Montclair reported – “Yes, sore this morning but worth it. Good match at the end. I was so delirious I had no fear. So-And-So … and his partner were very strong. My partner was my rock! Thanks again.”
SATURDAY
I can’t remember the last time there were so many newcomers (13) in the same night! Players came from Uptown, Downtown, Midtown, Queens, Cliffside Park, Edison, Hoboken, North Bergen, and Red Bank or Rumsen. I was happy to introduce the energetic and enthusiastic newcomers as much as I could to the rest of the group. Some of them talked and played together often and looked to me as if they were old friends. Judging from the smiles, they all had a nice time.
The minute the player from Lower East Side (LES) arrived, he caught my attention with his commanding but friendly way. As other newcomers arrived, I steered them towards him. It didn’t take long for conversations and laughter to fill the room. It was a comfortable sign that I could leave to go do my matches.
It’s no joke when I say word of mouth is my best compliment and advertisement. Here’s how the newcomers came about.
A newcomer originally from NYC, now from North Bergen, heard about through a friend whom he played with at another tennis party.
The couple from NYC came with another couple whom they met at a tennis party in NYC.
The husband of the couple from NYC works with a player from the Bronx, who came a few weeks ago.
The newcomer from LES said he heard about it from a player who lived in Battery Park City but now in North Bergen. They used to play at the courts under the bridge in the LES. I would like to see what that looks like. It must be nice in the summer to look up and see the bridge all lit up. He also brought a friend from NYC.
Newcomers from Edison and Rumsen came with a party regular who is also from Rumsen and a league coordinator for Monmouth County.
A newcomer from Queens came with a friend tonight to practice for their tournament the following weekend. This definitely is a good practice ground for such.
A newcomer from Cliffside Park is the neighbor of a party regular from Cliffside Park.
A newcomer from Cliffside Park came with his girlfriend. Computer savvy, he found us online. It wasn’t word of mouth this time but just good rapport in our phone conversation.
It was such a fun night I didn’t want it to end.
SUNDAY
Interestingly, the majority of the players tonight are Saturday regulars. So when they saw each other, they were nicely surprised. They talked, played and had such a great time. At the end of the night, they continued their fun, congregating in the kitchen and talked some more about how much fun they had and when they will come again. There must have been at least 10 of them. In order for everyone to talk to each other, they naturally formed a complete circle, reminding me of crop circles, “geometric forms reminiscent of profound mathematical theorems.” Profound indeed!
They’re all so new and interesting, at least to me. It’s also interesting that they met at the Saturday party and now they seem like good friends…. so nice to see!