Camaraderie and a can of tennis balls turned out to be the perfect recipe for a day of fun among former members of the Homewood-Flossmoor High School tennis team.
their competition on the court at a previous Old
Timers event. (Provided photo)
Camaraderie and a can of tennis balls turned out to be the perfect recipe for a day of fun among former members of the Homewood-Flossmoor High School tennis team.
Former H-F players Jim Harper and Jim Mann, along with former H-F economics teacher and tennis coach Philip Abruzino and others come together each year to put on the annual H-F Old Timers Tennis Classic, an event that is open to all tennis alumni from the school.
The Old Timers event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 24, at the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club at 2920 183rd St. in Homewood.
“The way the event originated was I decided it would be a great idea for the guys who played on the team to reconnect and hit,” Mann said. “So we did, and now we have players coming back from all over the country, most of them who played in the ‘70s and went on to play Division I collegiate tennis.”
The event summons all H-F tennis alumni to participate despite having only one or two heavily represented age groups. Players from all ages and skill levels are more than welcome to take part in the event, Harper said. The event encourages even those who have not played the sport in some time to come and rekindle their enjoyment of the game.
“When this event first started, I hadn’t kept up with tennis and I was really rusty,” Harper said. “We’re glad to have anyone associated with H-F or south suburban tennis — whether you are a serious player, playing for fun or picking up a racquet for the first time since being a Viking.”
The Old Timers Classic has been officially held at the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club for five years. However Mann, Harper and other former teammates have been hitting on Friday afternoons, then bouncing over to Lassen’s Tavern to socialize later in the evening.
“This tournament really represents how important it is for people to retain their relationships over a long period of time,” Abruzino said. “People enjoy getting together and reminiscing over old times and in this case, very old times.”
Among the Lassen’s tables are former MVPs and teammates who played under coaches Jim Trudeau, Jack Wayne and Jerry Sanders, who have since been inducted into the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame.
The event more often than not will bring back its past attendees as well as draw in a few newbies each year, bringing this year’s attendance to 18 former players from across the country.
“H-F’s tennis teams were always really good, and it not only was a really rewarding experience, but it helped people to make great friendships, great experiences and great competition that I will never forget. I am positive a lot of people feel the same way,” Harper said.
Some of the returning tennis alumni who will be attending the event this year have either participated in the state tournament previously held at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana or were a part of a top 10 finishing state team.
From 1974 to 1999, Homewood-Flossmoor men’s tennis finished in the top 10 for the state tournament 21 times while the women’s team finished in the top 10 a total of 19 times.