It’s been more than 35 years since Ronald Reagan stated, during his first inaugural address, “Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look.” We discovered heroes in every state, starting with the determined 69-year-old who won a match at an ITF Pro Circuit event earlier this year in the Alabama town of Pelham, and culminating with the coach who has overcome multiple sclerosis to build a winning program at the University of Wyoming. Their compelling stories of courage, perseverance and achievement demonstrate that the message delivered by our 40th President rings as true today as it did then.
Dee Maynard of Shelbyville, KY, first picked up a racquet at 50 years old, and was instantly drawn to the fact that speed on the court was only part of the tennis equation.
“It combined the mental and the physical, and I liked that a lot,” she says. “It gave me a chance to outfox the competition.”
First taught by one of the teenage students at the school where she volunteered in Shelby County, Maynard knew she had found her passion. But when that enterprising young tennis pro moved on from his side business at the local public courts, she needed a new place to play with her friends.
So began Maynard’s long history of tennis activism.