My First Job

"My first job was when I worked part-time in the pro shop at the city tennis courts in Lakeland. That would have been 1975 and I was about 14.

"I was a junior tennis player and had been taking the free junior clinics at the city tennis courts since I was nine, so I knew the gentleman who ran the facility for the City of Lakeland. I think I made around $2.50 an hour. For a 14-year-old that was good money.

"I would usually go to the tennis courts after school. It wasn't far from my high school. I would get a quick debrief from the shift ending and find out who was coming in. We had about 20 tennis courts. It was very busy in the evenings and on weekends. People would come in and I would check them in, and they would call on the phone and make reservations. I also sold tennis balls and wristbands and that sort of thing. Once you checked people in at the top of the hour, they were out playing for an hour or more, and I was allowed to do my homework in between customers.

"Occasionally a larger tournament would come to town, and they would let us be ball girls. When I was older I was trusted in being a line judge. [I met tennis players] who at the time were famous, but I don't think they would be household names today. It was fun being in that atmosphere.

"I played junior tournaments in high school. I was good enough to play number one on my high school team at Lakeland High School, but not good enough to play in college and not good enough to play pro."

-Interview by Katie S. Betz