For the love of the game

The ladies are woven together as tightly as the strings on the tennis rackets that bring them together.

Their moods are light and the banter is quick, just like their feet on the tennis courts. From one court comes, “This isn’t bird watching, ladies.” From another comes, “How are you? How is your cold?”

The women chatting are just 16 of the 77 women on Dolores Levy’s email list for Rombo, a tennis group that meets Saturday mornings. 

Levy began the group about six years ago after her U.S. Tennis Association team needed extra people to help them practice.

Rombo, Levy said, is an amalgamation of thought. The name was picked out of the air, she said once. It’s a secret, she said another time. It’s a derivative of round robin, she finally settled on. Whatever the origin, Rombo is really a thing.

Eventually, the USTA team stopped, but Rombo kept growing. Those who organize tennis matches for the Longboat Key Public Tennis Center started asking Levy if new members could join. Levy agreed because, as she puts it, she wants to play forward and pay forward. She’s a big advocate for the tennis center. Not only does she call it a wonderful place to meet people, the center helped her through a tough time.

Levy, 84, moved to Longboat Key with her husband in 1993. He died from Alzheimer’s disease in 2003, leaving Levy alone.

“They took me in, and it’s just, you know, it filled a spot in my life that could have been very empty because my kids are all grown and had their own lives, and I was all alone. And it was a good place to meet people and make new friendships,” she said.

Joining the tennis center made Levy branch out to new activities, too. She now plays golf.

She’s not the only one who’s made friendships. The ladies are also in bridge and mahjong groups, and they play tennis at their respective condominium courts.

But on Saturday mornings, it’s all about Rombo.

“When I see four courts full of women playing tennis and all having a good time, it just makes me feel good,” Levy said.

The process is simple for Levy, but it’s one that keeps her week going. Every Monday she emails the 77 women asking who can play. They respond yes or no, and based off that, Levy makes up courts of four. She follows up on Wednesdays to confirm the number of players. When Saturday morning rolls around, Levy hands out cards to the women telling them what courts they will be playing on. After 45 minutes, they switch. The women never know who they are going to be playing with. It changes each week and each round.

Watching the women interact, especially with Levy, a word that might come to mind is gratitude.

“They enjoy doing it,” Levy said. “They enjoy taking part in it. They enjoy making it a success. They’ve been appreciative to me.”

That is the reason Levy feels like she’s doing something good for the tennis center. And as much as Levy appreciates the women who participate, they appreciate her just a little more.

“She brings together loving women who love tennis,” Ginny Lipton, a four-year Rombo member, said.

As Lipton puts it, it’s as much about the friendship as it is the tennis. While the group is competitive, there isn’t a reward for winning.

“It’s good tennis, but we totally enjoy the camaraderie,” Sally Steele said.