the Village of Wellington bought the Wellington Club East property and hired me to start up the tennis program at what is now known as the Wellington Tennis Center.” It’s a position he has held ever since. Most recently, the village agreed to continue his contract another two years. So, how has Wellington’s tennis program changed over the past 20 years? “In the beginning, we did a lot of the same things,” Cheatham recalled. “We had a lot of ladies teams and a big junior program. There weren’t as many senior teams as we have now and not as many night leagues. We didn’t do a children’s summer program back then, either, but, for the past six or seven years, we’ve run a very successful tennis and swim camp.”
Cheatham has never regretted his career choice. Students both young and old keep him motivated. “I taught a junior in Texas who was probably one of the top kids in the country, and I traveled with him to various tournaments and got to watch him compete against the best kids in the country,” Cheatham explained. “Here in Wellington, I have a lady who I’ve been teaching for 15 years. She is probably in her 80s now, and she still comes out every week, takes a whole one-hour lesson, and I’m pretty much inspired by what she does. You’d never know she was in her 80s.” That’s the kind of dedication that inspires Cheatham. “When you start teaching tennis, you get your satisfaction out of watching other people succeed,” he explained. “They get better and do well, and that’s
how I get my inspiration out of tennis these days — not from my own game.” And if he could chart his own voyage into the future? “If I could pick what I wanted to do, I would stay here and work at the Village of Wellington,” he said. “I would like it to be my second and last job. The village is considering building a brand-new tennis facility, and I’m hoping they go that route. We could expand and, if that does happen, we’re going to really turn this place into one of the best tennis centers in the country. Right now, I don’t have the room to do everything I want to do, but with another six to eight courts, I could.” Cheatham paused, then added, “I hope they choose to keep me that long.” For more information about the Wellington Tennis Center, call (561) 791-4777 or visit www.wellingtonfl.gov.
Tommy Cheatham practices on one of the Wellington Tennis Center courts.
24
October 2012 |wellington the magazine|