LAGUNA HILLS : Seniors Compete in Tennis Tournament

It was 1933 when Eleanor Harbula first started playing tennis. She was 13.

Now, 57 years later, she still plays an impressive game. Through this weekend, Harbula, 70, is one of 180 seniors over 65 vying for the top slot at a national U.S. Tennis Assn. tournament held at Leisure World, Laguna Hills.

“It was the toughest match. It was so hot out there,” Harbula said after winning a three-hour match in 82-degree heat earlier this week. Still, she said she looked forward to winning her next match so that she can play a top-ranked woman with whom she has had a friendly, 20-year rivalry.

“This is fun tennis,” Harbula said. “It’s not life or death.”

Still, the competitors enjoy the $4,000 in prize money that will be split among the winners of each division.

It’s better than “stupid old trophies,” Harbula explained. “We’ve gotten trophies for years and we’d rather have money.”

Bill Hussey, president of the Laguna Hills Tennis Club, said the event showcases the athletic abilities of seniors.

“I think it opens a lot of people’s eyes to what’s going on in the United States. These are great athletes. It doesn’t matter about their numerical ages,” said Hussey, who is 75.

Laguna Niguel resident Frank Guernsey agreed.

“A 70-year-old could play a 25-year-old. Nothing makes ‘em madder either when you go out there with gray hair (and win). It kills ‘em,” said Guernsey, also 75.

Although the players’ love of competition has not changed, their games have.

“As you get older, you learn to play smarter,” to make up for the loss of speed and agility, said 66-year-old Jeanne Truan, who coordinates the tournament and also competes in it.

The seniors don’t hold back.

“You watch some of these people,” Truan said. “Their legs are bandaged, arms are bandaged, and you think this ought to be a piece of cake (to beat them). But you ought to see them play.”

“It’s not aggressive like you see on TV--you know, wham, wham,” she said. “But some have unorthodox styles.” For example, one woman forgoes normal backhand form in favor of twisting her wrist 180 degrees.

“They call her the octopus,” Truan said. “She’s all over the net. Opponents get a little upset because the ball always goes where they are not.”

Although arguments with referees occur, players generally accept calls with grace, said 65-year-old Daisy Ballweg of Kansas City.

“They do things the old-fashioned way,” she said. “They have good court etiquette. If they played well, that’s all they ask for.”

Truan said seniors set an example.

“I try to encourage the younger people,” she said.

“They don’t realize that some day they’ll be older and they’ll be able to still compete at a high level of play. They’re amazed,” she said.

The competition continues Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Leisure World.