I wanted to take an opportunity to thank Henry “Hawk” “Coach” Harris. Thank you for all of the effort that you have put into the tennis program at Duncan Park.

You are always out there giving clinics for little children or older adults. You are giving lessons, promoting leagues, helping out with tournaments and lining up matches. There are people out there hitting balls that are under 6 years old and well over 60.

On any given day, you will see men, women, white, black, Asian, Hispanic, Indian or European all playing tennis, and, over the years, the number of people involved in tennis has grown dramatically.

I also want to thank you for all you have done to make me a better tennis player. June will mark my second year playing, and thanks to you, I actually have a forehand instead of whatever it was I had before. You have given me great advice on everything from shoe brands to fitness training. You have my racquet grips and strings fitting me perfectly. In the last two years, I have gone from begging people for a match to getting two or three calls a week from people wanting to play.

I have played people from Thailand, Vietnam and Canada. I have played high school students, senior citizens and even a pro-football draftee’s mother. I am really enjoying tennis, and I wish I had started a long time ago.

There is one problem though — you are doing too good of a job getting other people interested in tennis. There are many times every court is full and there are people waiting for one to open up. Yes, there might not be hardly anybody out there until 3 or 4 p.m., but then the children start getting out of school, and you have those clinics going.

In the spring, the high schools come out to practice or play matches. During the summer, all of the college kids are home, and you will see many of them out there also. After 5 p.m., people getting off work come out there, and the next thing you know, there is no room for me.

Yes, I know one day we are supposed to get more courts built — at least that is what I thought.

I know there was a “yes” vote on it by the public.

I voted “no” on that ballot, not because I didn’t think expanded and improved recreation facilities were needed, but because I didn’t trust our politicians with the project. I still don’t trust them, but we are stuck with them for a while, I guess.

It doesn’t look like the private sector is going to step up and take over the project either.

Anyway, Duncan Park tennis is pretty full right now. So, please quit encouraging other people to get involved in tennis.

I don’t care if it is one of the fastest growing forms of recreation in the United States. I don’t care if it brings people from all walks of life together. I don’t care if it is giving people exercise and keeping young people busy.

All of those other people can wait until we get more courts built. Until then, they can sit at home, watch TV and the leave the courts open for me.

Seriously, Henry, thanks for all you do.

Scott Manoley

Natchez resident