By Setarreh Massihzadegan
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Rain or shine, spring or winter, the tennis group at Linden Ponds keeps the heat on.

Since last April, a group of about seven players has met as often as six days a week for friendly doubles matches. Winter’s onset has only prompted the group to take its game indoors from the Weymouth High School courts to the nearby YMCA in Hanover.

“We’ve all got the fever,” says Mary Good, who took up the game at age 40 and has played off and on ever since.

Double the fun
The tennis group was founded by Sam Allar, who began playing the game while living in Cape Cod when he retired. In September 2006 he began posting notices about getting players together at Linden Ponds.

Now, dedicated members of the group volley encouragement between serves on the court, and the camaraderie continues when the game’s been won.

During a recent match, the partners swapped to position men against women, pairing Good and June Economos against Bernard Peavey and Allar. “The men are perfect gentlemen; they’re like brothers to me,” Good says.

“Sam has improved so much in the last few weeks,” she reports after the usual hour and a half of play. “He’s in the zone.”

Allar attributes his better game to new eyeglasses and goes on to praise his teammate: “Mary’s a steady, good player,” he says.

Competition among friends
Group members say that competition among them is friendly—to prove it, they don’t keep track of final scores.

“We have a good time; we’re still competitive, but it’s not life or death,” says Toivo Karhu, who played as a child until his tennis partner went into the army. Karhu picked up his racket again when he retired.

Players say the skills come back to you, and there is always the chance to brush up with some lessons.

“It’s a good workout physically and mentally,” Allar says. The group looks forward to welcoming new members this year.