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Recent Blog Post

Play Tennis Florida Online: A Pleasant Surprise

My surprising experience of Play Tennis Florida online compels me to give credit where credit is due.
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T. A. Niles


Feature Writer Tennis/Racquet Sport Feature Writer
T.A. at Univ of Hartford Hall of Fame Induction, Photo Gallery

I’m staring 1/2 century in the eye and not blinking…more than twice a day. It’s less than a year off now, but it will not. I repeat, WILL NOT, take me by surprise. Yes, I am maturing, and so are my flaws.

I've been around a while and looking to get around some more. The Caribbean, Asia, and the good old US of A have been my primary grounds for learning. Speaking of learning, I'm one of the gazillion “almost-wases” who have the dubious distinction of being ABD in Communication, meaning I got everything done but the dissertation to have folks call me "Dr." I'll let you know when I begin to regret the decision to give Academe a pass.

As it stands, I'm glad to have taught interpersonal and intercultural communication at the higher ed level, to have served as a K-8 charter school headmaster, a customer service rep for years, a freelance writer intermittently, and to have contributed to a number of lives along the way. Believe it or not I'd rather impact one life positively than make a million $$ in the extremely popular, yet disturbingly unethical game of "grab-as-much-as-you-can-before-your-time-expires."

I used to be a pretty decent tennis player, once playing 20 matches in NCAA Div I without a loss, and I'm still trying to keep the old glory days fresh by playing in leagues. Fresh is not a term I can link to what I’m doing on the court these days, but if it slows the inexorable middle growth, I’ll be grudgingly content (is that an oxymoron, or just a moron with moxie?). So far, I'm holding my own between the lines better than I would have expected. In fact, closed 2008 ranked No.2 in USTA Florida's Men's 45 Division and No.30 nationally after only two national events. Not bad for a geezer.

If tennis is the tried and true wife of my life (once again a certified teaching professional as of September, 2007), golf has become a very desirable mistress. She captivates me, tantalizes me, frustrates me, and makes the juices flow. But I may as well be talking about my MAJiC Princess MJ there. She's my Life Partner (referred to as LP from here on out) and we are doing the best we can to help our boy Connor (18 soon) grow into a man that can be proud of himself and of whom we can feel minimal remorse at having been his parents.

My objective here is to contribute at least as much as I take. Drop me a line and let me know if you think I'm succeeding...or if I'm not.