By ERIC VICCARO
bnewssports@sbcglobal.net

While tennis leagues in even larger communities falter, the Bowie Tennis Association has proven to have the staying power of a Wimbledon fifth set between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut.
“Wichita Falls has had trouble keeping their tennis leagues going,” Bowie Tennis Association treasurer Janice Robertson, who owns Bowie Floral, said. “We have dedicated people that have stuck with it. We now have high school kids keeping it going.”
For Robertson, playing tennis provides social and recreational opportunities.
“I enjoy it,” she said. “It’s fun and it’s exercise. I get to know new people. It’s a way for me to compete.”
Robertson teams up with Cindy Eichler in the women’s league, and with Bowie High School student Michael Shaw in the mixed division.
The Bowie Tennis Association was the brainchild of several women, including local business professionals Sue Swint and Donna Ashley. Ashley runs a photography studio in downtown. Swint is a realtor.
The organization started in 1986.
At present, there are about 50 people in the league, which has a yearly banquet in the spring to hand out awards. The group has two other formal meetings each year. There are club officers, and six directors that serve on a rotating basis. Read more in the weekend Bowie News.

Former Bowie High School tennis player Kaity Hanson, hitting a forehand during a mixed doubles match on Nov. 6, still plays the sport through The Bowie Association. The association has been a fixture here for 28 years. (News photo by Eric Viccar0)