Tennis anyone?

Growing up in small town Nebraska, I didn't have much of an opportunity to play tennis. There were courts by the public pool and my friends and I used to smack balls around occasionally but we had no idea what we were doing and there were no organized teams in the area. That's probably part of the reason this Workout of the Week felt so difficult to me. I haven't felt so uncoordinated (or so out of breath) in a long time!

We found out about some great tennis players in Central Iowa thanks to an email letting us know a group of local women brought home the National Amateur Championship trophy! They started playing the game as a way to get in some exercise and some girl time while their husbands played golf. A year after picking up rackets these moms were winning major matches!

When we decided to feature these athletes in a Workout of the Week segment, we never dreamed we’d get put through the paces with the Director of Tennis at Aspen Athletic Club. Gary Scholl has a bit of an evil grin on his face when he describes the workout called “cardio tennis”. “Just pay close attention cause I keep things flowing,” he tells us, “you will have break times when the balls are all gone.”

We start with base line drills and these women make it look easy. But they swear, when they started - they struggled too. “You’d be shocked to see what most of us have come from,” says team captain Andi Laine, “we looked like you when we started out!” That`s hard to believe, considering they`re now the reigning champions in their division. “We started last summer with a group of ladies who just kind of wanted to get out and leave the kids at home.”

Their coach, Bob Peterson, the tennis pro at Aspen saw some potential, even though the ladies were more interested in the social aspects of the game. “We really didn`t think we were going to go that far,” says Natalie Cataldo with a laugh, “then we made it to St. Louis and we were like ‘girls weekend!’ ... and all of a sudden we`re like, we just won this whole thing, what just happened?!?”

After Districts, it was off to Nationals. Bob believes their attitudes played a major role in winning. “They just weren`t uptight. They just had a lot of fun doing what they were doing. And they drove their coach crazy a few times!”

Of course, conditioning also contributed to their victory ... which brings us back to the workout. Gary clearly loves torturing us and doesn`t let up. Each drill has us scrambling, and sucking air. It’s easy to see this is a great way to get in shape – and even better, have some girl time at the same time. “I think that`s what makes it so much fun, we`re laughing we`re not as serious until we get on the court,” say Andi and Natalie, “we just have fun.”

But make no mistake, winning is also fun – and these women are champions.

If you want to pick up a racket - visit the Aspen Athletic club on Hickman Road. Here's the website:
http://www.aspenathleticia.com/iowa-locations/hickman-des-moines/

Here's to a healthy week!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com