As most of you know, opportunities to
help others are endless, whether it’s traveling across the world to help feed
the hungry or by simply crossing the street and helping a neighbor in need. One
of those opportunities came to Mike Genovese and has forever changed his view
of life and the sport of tennis. The event was the Magee Rehabilitation
Wheelchair Tournament, an annual event held at Cherry Hill Health and Racquet
Club. His children have participated as ball kids for years and they loved
it. So, when Mike heard that Magee was in need of a director this past year,
he didn’t hesitate to volunteer.
“It turned out that the initial volunteering
was the easy part. What I quickly realized was that running a wheelchair
tournament is much different than a typical junior tournament. I had no
idea that things like temperature, humidity, and the softness of the court can
mean life or death to some of these players. When getting to know the
players, one quickly finds that they are not only struggling against their
opponent but also against their bodies - something like sweating, that we would never think twice about. The timing of matches varies due to recovery time. This not only involves a player catching their breath but also
monitoring for body temperature and fluid intake. Seeing the struggles
that these players go through, just to play what many consider to be just a game, has
provided me a much better appreciation of the love that people have for
tennis. No matter the outcome of the matches, these players will most
likely all be back again next year because this is an act of love.” stated Mike.
Mike is also a USTA Junior Team Tennis coach. The individual goals of these children he coaches, ranges anywhere from making their HS JV team to a spot on the Varsity Doubles. But what they all have in common is the same thing that brings them back year after year - just like the Magee Tournament players - their love for the game. Mike's desire to help these children is what brings him back year after year.
"If I can help one child to continue to play and not give up, then all of my time was well spent," Mike stated.
#volunteer
#USTA
#chhrc
#magee
#wheelchair
