Hanging Out

I discovered the reason I was off today was because I had a walkover. I play a Russian girl tomorrow. The times will be posted at 7:30 tonight. My partner, Marianna, and I played a practice set of doubles today and I also did a little singles practice. It felt good to be back on the court. I feel like I did last week....ready to play! The wind here seems to be a little more prevalent than at Belek. I watched some other American players play their matches. I can't say enough times how much fun it is to be here. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by it all, I feel like I belong. Navigating your way around 60 courts can be a little tough when you are trying to find certain matches to watch. But now I'm more familiar with the set up.
I'll have a good dinner tonight, probably the usual: salad, cheese pizza and coke light. Watch a little of the nightly outdoor entertainment shows they put on, then off to bed to get ready for tomorrow.
Oh yes, before I get anymore emails from Lance, I just would like to add him to my list of things I'm missing the most from home!

Another Week

I just arrived at Manavgat where the World Individuals are being played. The resort is very similar to Belek, only much larger! I've been navigating my way around and found the tennis area with 60 red clay courts. I won't know until this afternoon when I play. I may have a day off tomorrow. Today I'm not hitting, just taking it easy. It may be a little more difficult to post daily on the blog. Although this resort is much larger than Belek, they don't have as many Internet connections to plug into, and no wireless available. I'll do my best. I miss hanging out with my teammates, but I've made so many new friends who will be here as well. Just a few random thoughts of things I miss about home.

• ice in drinks
• hearing the word ya'll
• my doggies sleeping with me
• work (a little)
• ESPN radio
• American newspaper
• beating Renee at Rumikub

A Day of Rest

We had all decided that we'd get an easy practice in this morning, just to stay sharp then spend the day cheering on the American men. The 55's had a final against Australia. They split the singles, so it once again came down to the doubles. Unfortunately the Aussies were too much and won the doubles in straight sets. The 45's won their playoff against France to take third. We all feel like we represented our country well. We would have loved to have brought home more gold, but all things considered, we faired pretty well. The medal awards and closing ceremonies came at the conclusion of the last match played. It was an awesome experience to march into center court with the French and Netherlands teams to accept our medals. Mary had the quote of the day when she leaned over and said "this is the difference between third and fourth place". Had we lost to Great Britain, we'd have been on the sidelines watching the awarding of the medals with everyone else! The draws have been made for the individuals and I'm seeded 6th and think I play on Monday. I'm counting on some of the other girls to tell me who's who, because I no nothing about most of these players. Some of them, but not all, played here this week. I don't know yet about the doubles draw. There is a web address that I am putting on this post that you can go to and see the actual draws. I'm connected using a Turkish Internet connection, so the actual layout to my blog that I see on my computer is all in Turkish. You may be able to click on the link below to get there, or you may have to manually enter the address. I'm feeling lucky that I have been able to navigate around the language barrier and make the daily posts work! I'll post again once I get settled in Manavgat.
ITF website for individual draws: http://www.92computing.com.au/catseniors07/cat.htm

Great Britain vs USA

We didn't find out until about 11:30 this morning who our opponent would be for the playoff for 3 & 4. Great Britain and the Netherlands had to finish the match they had started late yesterday that was called for darkness. The match would be decided by the doubles, as they had split the singles. It came down to a decisive third set and the girls from the Netherlands won, so we'd be playing Great Britain. I was first match on again at #2 singles. I am striking the ball so cleanly. I knew that the girl I was playing just finished a tough match. Our team had warmed up earlier and I was confident, fresh and ready to play. With the help of a lot of unforced errors and superb play, I won the first set 6-0. The second set she found her groove and starting making fewer errors. I won a lot of points but no games. I lost the set 6-0. A strange turn of events. The third set was tight through the first 4 games. She then went up 4-2, then 5-2. I held off a couple of match points on her serve and broke to make it 5-3. I was serving to stay in the match. I got down early in the game and lost my serve to lose the match 6-3. I was disappointed, but I knew Fran was ready to redeem herself from her disappointing loss yesterday. I was right. She steamrolled through her opponent and won love and love. Now it was down to doubles again. We had a good feeling about putting Mary and Susan back out clinch the match for us. They knew they could make it happen for us. They cruised to a 6-0,6-2 victory. We finished third out of fourteen countries! How awesome is that? France went on to beat the Netherlands to win the Cup. Remember, we only lost to France by one set! We all feel great about our play and how we represented the USA. Closing ceremonies are tomorrow afternoon after the last matches finish. The USA men's 55 team is in the final of the Austria Cup. We all be there to cheer them on! The USA men's 45 team lost in the semis today and will play a playoff tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow. Then I travel to Manavgat on Sunday to get ready to start the World Individuals. I found out today I am seeded 6th. I should see a copy of the draw tomorrow. A great big thank you to all of you who have sent emails and comments on the blog! I wish I could respond individually to you all, but right now it's too difficult. Stay tuned there's two more weeks to go!

What a Day!

The day was overcast and no wind....perfect playing conditions. I was on first match. I knew when I walked on the court I was ready to play. We had been scouting our opponents, plus talked to our 50's team who had played last year against some of these same girls. We stayed on serve then I broke and went on to win the first set 6-3. Our points were long, but I was patient and determined and very pumped. I lost my serve early and went down a break 0-2 in the second then went on to win the next 4 games. She broke and held to get to 4-4. Then we both held for 5-5, then on to 6 all. The tiebreaker was tight through 3 all, then I played some great points and went on to win 7-3 in the tiebreaker. Mary stayed on the court with me and was great! I was so unbelievably pumped up as were my teammates! It was a great win, and a point I knew our team badly needed. Fran started her singles after mine. The girls she played is a former tour player. She was so good. She could drop shot from anywhere, and her strokes were so smooth and effortless. She won the first set 6-1 before Fran could do anything. The second set went a little better, as the girl started making more errors. Unfortunately on this day the girl was too much and won the second 6-4. That made us tied for the match with doubles to be played to determine the winner. The two girls for France that played singles also played doubles. We thought Mary and Susan would be our best bet. They were both fresh, rested and ready to go. Once again the first set was so quick, we lost 6-1. With Fran on their court to coach, they made some adjustments, the momentum turned and we won the second set 7-5. The third set of doubles would decide the match. Talk about nerve wracking!!!! After a 10 minute break, the third set started and Susan lost a tough, long game on her serve. It seemed after that things went down hill for us. The other team picked it up and we ended up losing the third set 6-3 and the overall match 2-1. It was a tough loss. But on this day the French team was better than we were. So now, tomorrow we play off for 3 & 4. We'll either play Great Britain or the Netherlands. They were just starting their matches when we finished, so we're not sure yet who it will be. Doesn't matter. We're all ready to go out and play our hearts out again tomorrow! This whole experience is so awesome!

The players dinner last night was fun. It was on the beach at sunset on the Mediterreanean. Does it get any better than that? Yes it does.....Mary Daily and I talked this one chef into making us a CHEESE PIZZA!!!!! It was the best food I've had all week! I was in heaven! Pizza and "coke light" as they call it here...it was as wonderful as the sunset!

Still Winning

We played Spain today and won 3-0. Susan played #2 and won 6-2,6-0. Fran won her match 6-1, 6-0. Since we clinched in singles I played doubles with Mary for the third match. We got off to a shaky start and lost the first set 7-5. She was playing the deuce side and me the add. We switched after the first set and put me on the deuce side. We rolled from there 6-2,6-1. Now we have France tomorrow. We haven't talked yet about the line up, but I suspect I may play #2, Fran #1 with Mary and Susan in doubles. They make a great team. I'm here to play, and to win, so whoever matches up best is fine with me. I'm just enjoying the experience. There is a "gala" dinner on the beach tonight for the players. Sounds like fun. The party animal that I am, I hope I can be in bed by 9:00! The weather was beautiful again today. There's a mention of rain at some point, so instead of a day off tomorrow as scheduled, we'll go ahead and keep playing. That way we may finish up the team competition on Friday and have a couple of sight seeing days before I move to Magnavat and start the individual competition. The American men's teams that are at our site are winning too.

Finally our First Match!

Another beautiful day in Antalya. We all met for breakfast, then went for a quick 30 minute practice court at 9. Our match court was ready for us promptly at 10. Each team gets a 15 minute warm up with their teammates then the matches start at 10:30. The number two line plays first. That was me, and I was really ready to play! I played a girl named Sophie. I won easily 6-2, 6-0. We're allowed to have a teammate on the court as a coach. Mary Daily stayed on my court. Fran then played and may have lost 6 points the entire match. She won love and love. I sat on her court and just watched in awe. That clinched the match for us against Sweden. Mary and Susan played doubles and won 6-1, 6-1. Tomorrow we play Spain. We'll be on the same practice and playing schedule as we were today. Thanks to everyone for the replies to my blog and especially the well wishes! I love getting them! Fran hasn't decided what the line up for tomorrow will be just yet. I think we'd like to get Susan in playing singles tomorrow, I may just be a cheerleader, or depending on how singles go, I may just play doubles. We'll decide tonight at dinner. Fran really values every ones opinion!

Ready to Play!

We woke up to a beautiful day today. We hit at 7 before the matches started, then again at 11:30. We're all ready to play! We scouted our Swedish opponents who were playing Spain. We feel that we'll match up best with me at two, Fran at one then Susan and Mary playing doubles. On Wedndesday we'll play Spain, and will probably do a completely different line up. I love being part of a team competition like this. The comraderie on our team is so good. I feel honored to playing with these girls! After hitting and scouting today we cheered the American mens teams on to victory. They both won easily. The wind picked up to 25-30 mph this afternoon.....brutal conditions. Tomorrow is not supposed to be quite as bad. I had a massage...carrying around heavy luggage, and racquet bags takes its toll on the shoulders and back. I feel great now. Mary and I walked into Belek to a store to stock up on bottle water and diet coke. Both are very expensive on site. Carol Wood, our USTA representative came in today. She'll be here a few days before going over to the other site later in the week. The format for us playing tomorrow, is that we have one court. The #2 singles plays on that court first. Then when we're done, the #1 singles plays. After they're done the doubles will play. Our play starts at 10:30am. We're all ready to play!

Opening Ceremonies

Today was the Opening Ceremonies for the competition. All the countries marched in with their flags. It was pretty exciting. The weather today started nice and then got cloudy with a few sprinkles. We hit twice again today, once in the morning and again early afternoon. At the captains meeting today, Fran found out that we are seeded first with the Netherlands seeded second. I feel like a midget around here. Some of these girls are so tall! In our little round robin section we play Sweden and Spain. We have a bye tomorrow and play our first match against Sweden on Tuesday then play Spain on Wednesday. We'll practice tomorrow and scout our opponents as they play each other at 10:00. I'm finding that I'm eating a lot of salads, cheese, fruit and bread. There are a lot of unidentifiable meats that I'm not touching. Desserts are really good too, but a little bit goes along way. I'm trying to send some pictures but for some reason they're not going through on the blog. I'll keep trying.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

I had a great nights sleep last night...11 hours. I woke up ready to go today. We practiced at 9, with hardly no wind at all this morning. I had a much better feel for the courts. For the most part, the courts have good clean bounces. After playing a while, the clay mounds in the high traffic areas and can result in unpredictable bounces. We had lunch then had another hit at 1:30. Afterwards we walked to a local bazaar about 10 minutes away. There we found local vendors peddling their goods. Mary Daily is the queen of bargaining! We all picked up a few trinkets. Fran and her husband Willie walked back early for the Turkish Baths they had booked. I'm not brave enough yet to try that. Maybe later in the week. Tomorrow afternoon are the opening ceremonies. We'll also find out who and when we play.

We Made It!

We finally arrived in Antalya today around 2:00 Turkey time. The flights were long but uneventful. I was able to sleep some on the flight from JFK to Istanbul, and from Istanbul to Antalya. I met up with my teammates at JFK. The resort is very nice. We were able to hit some this afternoon, just to get the cob webs out. The red clay is a little different, but not too bad. With the courts being right on the Mediterranean, it is very windy. Dinner is at seven....I'm starving. Ready to eat and go to bed. We've got practice courts in the morning at 9 and again at 1 to get some more hitting in. Play starts Monday.

Wishful Thinking

I've finished packing, sort of. Hard as I tried, and at one point I did have everything in one suitcase....it was only wishful thinking. It was a tight fit, plus it weighed a ton! So I decided to add a smaller one to lighten the load. Tomorrow will be spent tying up loose ends at home and at work. I've left detailed notes for Mom on taking care of the "girls", Chatum and Augie. In fact, Augie saw the suitcases and immediately started to mope. She knows I'm leaving. I know I'll miss them both so much. They've been such comfort to me. I wish I could pack them in my suitcase....Only wishful thinking.

Going Global!

Article from the Northwest Florida Daily News
April 5, 2007 By Adam Pruiett

Success on the national level has earned Hidden Dunes director of tennis Myke Bodisch a distinguished opportunity: representing her country in a major international competition

DESTIN — Myke Bodisch’s playing career in tennis has been like a fine wine: it’s only gotten better with age. And while she would hesitate to say that she’s reached her peak, there’s no denying that Bodisch’s evolution as a player has gotten her within a sip of one of the tastiest achievement in the amateur ranks. Her pedigree includes a couple national championships, but now she’s swinging to become a world champion. Bodisch, the longtime director of tennis at Hidden Dunes Beach and Tennis Resort in Destin, has been selected to represent the USA on the Margaret Court Cup-Women’s 45 Team in the 2007 International Tennis Federation Seniors World Team Championships. Held from April 23-28 in Antalya, Turkey, the event is like the amateur equivalent of the Davis Cup only with age classifications. The Margaret Court Cup will consist of teams from 15 different countries. “I have been getting used to playing with the best players nationally and doing well and winning, but to be able to compete against the best players in the world in your age group is something that doesn’t happen everyday,” said Bodisch, 45, who has been working at Hidden Dunes since its 1985 opening. Bodisch didn’t expect to be selected to the four-player Margaret Court Cup team after being considered in previous years for the Young Cup-Women’s 40 Team before ultimately failing to get a nod. This year, after learning of her consideration, Bodisch refused to get her hopes up and told only Renee Broxson, her coworker at Hidden Dunes and frequent doubles partner, about being a candidate. A few weeks later, though, a major celebration was in order. And all Bodisch needed to hear after picking up the congratulatory phone call was the voice of Gretchen Magers, the USA team representative. She immediately knew. Tears of joy started spilling from Bodisch’s eyes and she couldn’t contain her excitement. “(Magers) said ‘Don’t cry. We need you to save your strength for the team.’ I just couldn’t believe it had come to fruition,” Bodisch said. It had been a long time coming. Growing up in Little Rock, Ark., Bodisch began playing tennis at age 8 in the junior ranks — where she would face off with future pro tennis stars Pam Shriver and Tracy Austin — and earned a scholarship at the University of Alabama, where she played for three years before closing out her collegiate career at Arkansas. Playing professionally didn’t particularly interest Bodisch, although she knew she wanted to stay in tennis in some capacity. When Hidden Dunes opened, it was the perfect opportunity, and she’s found teaching the game to be extremely rewarding. Save some sporadic exhibitions, Bodisch didn’t play competitively from her late 20s through her 30s. As she began approaching 40, friends who played senior tennis began urging her to come back. Bodisch listened and eventually relented — those marathons that she’d run to satisfy her competitive yearnings were no longer enough. “I was like ‘You know what? Tennis is the thing you love the most, so use that as your motivation to deal with your competitiveness,’” Bodisch said. So in 2002, Bodisch returned to competitive tennis at a national senior clay court championship in Pensacola and played respectably. She was hooked again. The next year, at the same event, Bodisch placed third in singles and, more importantly, teamed with Broxson to capture a national title in doubles. Her most impressive feat followed. After undergoing Achilles tendon surgery in 2005, Bodisch took the 45 division by storm last year in Houston at the national championships and won the singles title. “During that time (her extensive rehab) I learned how to practice better, I learned how to be mentally stronger and fitter on the court,” Bodisch said. “Again, it was a process of getting to this. It’s not like I set out to win nationals. I worked hard, set my mind straight and all of the sudden there it was.” It didn’t dawn on her at the time, but her resume for the Margaret Court Cup team had received a sterling top line. “That, to me, was my biggest validation,” Bodisch said of the nationals victory. “Not only did I arrive, but I really did belong. “I didn’t realize to what capacity what other areas of reward that would lead to. I certainly didn’t win nationals knowing that I would get to go to Turkey. It’s kind of a byproduct of that.” Byproducts don’t get much better. Bodisch will spend two weeks in Turkey, competing in the world individual championships after playing in the Margaret Court Cup. She’ll then spend a week in Greece visiting family she’s “only heard about all my life.” Her mom, Anastasia, is Greek. Her tennis travels have taken her all over the states, but Bodisch has never played on foreign soil. “It can be a little overwhelming if you look at it in that regard, but I’m trying to keep myself from getting overly excited, or psyched out really, by the experience of what it is and focus on the game,” Bodisch said. “The 45 team last year won the Margaret Cup, so we’re going to defend a title. So, you certainly don’t want to let them down by being overly awed by the experience.”

For my brother!

My brother told me if I had a blog, I needed to be blogging more! I told him I really will do more blogging once my trip starts. I did get a new laptop yesterday to take along. I actually pulled out my suitcase to see if there is anyway I can get away with taking one big one. Any bets? I'm going to try, but may have to relent to adding a smaller one too. I just don't want to be overloaded and have to lug it all around with my racquet bag too.

April is finally here!

Today is April 1st...only 18 days until I leave. Now it's finally starting to feel real. I've done a little shopping. I've never had to pack for a 3 week trip before! I'm trying to think of the most basic things I'll need and go from there. I've been playing and practicing. Renee is doing a good job at keeping me focused on the tennis part. I've been in touch with Fran, our team captain. Even though she's been before, she sounds very excited about our trip. I'll meet up with my teammates in New York, then we'll fly to Antalya together.