My parents moved to Hudson from New York in 1974. We joined Western Reserve Racquet Club that same year. I was 10, but had already begun taking lessons and would hit a ball against the wall of Evamere school when I had no one to play with. Through the years, my brothers and sister and I all took instruction at WRRFC and played on the Hudson High School Tennis Team. Competition was a little different back then and certainly no one that I knew of had their own coach. Tennis was fun.
My husband and I moved to southern California in 1988 where I went to work in professional tennis at the ATP/WTA tournament in Indian Wells. I would talk proudly of my tennis roots in Northeast Ohio. When my family moved back to Hudson in 1999, it was not long before I was back at WRRFC, albeit, in a different role. I was amazed to see how many families I had known from the 70’s and 80’s were still members of WRRFC as well as some of their adult children who had remained in the area. I quickly reestablished old relationships that went beyond the tennis court.
It is hard to imagine the friends and families I would not have met ‘back in the day” as well as today were it not for the time spent at WRRFC. In the 20th century, networking happened at cocktail parties, work, luncheons, and school events. Today, we have Twitter, Facebook, just to name a few. With the launch of this new website, WRRFC’s goal remains the same, to physically connect the local community with activities and events that lend themselves to lifelong friendships and good memories, not to mention healthier lifestyles.
About the author: WRRFC Staff Member Susan Gaspar practically grew up on the courts of Western Reserve Racquet & Fitness Club. She continues to make new friends on the courts.