Notes from the Road:
Juniors report on Boise tennis trip
By Adele Parsons and Claire Ducharme

At the beginning of the new year, 14 of the Bellevue Club juniors took a trip to Boise, Idaho, where we had tons of fun playing tennis and hanging out with our friends. We received helpful advice from talented Idaho coaches and while the tennis was difficult and tiring, we watched all of our match play improve significantly.

To start our trip we arrived in Boise at noon. We immediately drove to the Boise Racquet and Swim Club and met the friendly coaches and juniors we would be spending the weekend with. Then we began an intense four hour session of drills and match play. After we were so tired that our legs felt like Jell-O, we returned to the AmeriTel Inn for a good night’s rest. A short six hours later we awoke at 6:30 bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for a day of tennis. After a long day of drills and match play with a short swimming and cupcake break, we went to a delicious spaghetti dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. We went bowling and had tons of fun socializing with the Boise juniors.

On Sunday morning, we were not so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We all limped down the stairs for breakfast, and then reluctantly got ready to play tennis for our last day in Boise. Although we were tired, time was running out so we decided to play to the best of our abilities. At the end of the day we had to say our good-byes to the Boise coaches and players. We then returned to the airport for our departure back to Seattle. Everybody on the trip had a blast, and we all can’t wait for next year’s trip.

Net Gains
Judi Powell didn’t grow up playing tennis. In fact, she never really set foot on the court until she signed up for a tennis lesson at the Bellevue Club more than nine years ago—and she never stopped.

Growing up in the Northwest, Judi was throwing overhead aerials on skis long before her first overhead smash. She competed in aerials and moguls at the regional contests at Mount Hood and Mount Rainier.

“Back then, a single back layout would win the event,” she says.

Nowadays, it’s hard to find Judi away from the hardcourt. She captains a Bellevue Club USTA 3.5 team and Ladies Cup team, plays mixed doubles with her husband Brad and even takes tennis-based vacations.

“We’ve gone to the U.S. Open the past two years, and we’re going to Wimbledon this year. Our dream is to go to every Grand Slam tournament,” she says.

How did Judi eventually get so involved with tennis?

“I have four kids and you can do it in an hour and a half,” she says. “We took up golf, but that takes half a day.” Far beyond convenience, her infatuation with tennis can be partially attributed to the Bellevue Club Tennis community.

“They just welcomed us in,” she says. “You can develop good, strong relationships. It really adds to your everyday life. You don’t have to beat your next-door neighbor to get on a team—they’re very inclusive.”

Judi has also been a regular on the Bellevue Club’s annual Palm Desert tennis vacation. Every spring, she goes down with a group of friends for the week of warm-weather tennis instruction and tournament watching, and their husbands join them for another week of sunny tennis.

“We travel with a much broader group of friends than we would have before,” she says.

Besides the social aspect, Judi has literally become a student of the game, rarely missing a clinic or chance to improve her stroke—including her powerful left-handed serve.

“Every single time I play, I learn something I didn’t know before,” she says. “Brian (Nash) always says, ‘play smarter, not harder.’”

Judi’s tennis experience hasn’t always been easy. Two years ago, she suffered a torn Achilles tendon on the court.

“I was going back for a lob and it just popped,” she says. “I was in a nonwalking boot for three and a half months, and I didn’t go back on the court for six straight months.”

Back at full strength, Judi is on the court five times a week and is preparing with her USTA teammates for another season.

Judi is philosophical when asked about her dedication to tennis:

“There is a handful of people that we never would have come across, and we will be lifelong friends. How can you measure that?”

For additional Fitness information, please visit the Classes & Events page.