In mid May, City of Natchez tennis director Henry Harris and a number of special athletes made the trip to Biloxi to participate in the annual Summer Games.

Harris was hopeful the athletes would churn out a good performance, but his students managed to far exceed his expectations.

“We got gold (medals) in every age group,” Harris said.

Harris’ students secured gold in the 20-to-29 and 40-and-over age group, in addition to having two ties for first place in the 30-to-39 age group.

“That was great,” Harris said. “They practice year round, and they work hard. That was exciting to see.”

Harris said he and his students meet every Wednesday at Duncan Park, and the grizzled coach said it’s a joy to see them compete on the courts.

“Anytime I can get anyone introduced to tennis and see the light shining in their face when they are able to hit the ball over the net, that pleases me,” Harris said. “This is what God has called me to do. I say to a lot of people you need to find out what your purpose on earth is, and I guess this is my purpose.”

Harris said last year there were only four athletes that competed in the Summer Games. This year, however, there were 29 competitors that made the trip.

“We are just getting the program back up,” Harris said. “I’m hoping we will coming to grow. We had a good group before Katrina hit, and then we had to start the process all over again.”

Harris said with the resounding success of this year’s tournament, there is sure to be a major increase in numbers in the coming years.

“I see a great future for our athletes because they do work hard in getting ready for the state games,” Harris said. “Everyone saw the success the 29 had this year, and I know everyone had a good time. I’m looking for that number to double next year.”