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.”