Rob Hale, tennis

A trip to the tennis courts with Dad when Rob Hale was 12 changed his life.

It was then Hale began playing tennis, and it's kept him coming back enough so that he says that he will play until he physically can't. That could be a long career since carpal tunnel surgery wasn't enough to stop him.

"I can still play," he says. "I just can't hit the ball as hard as I used to."

He used to hit the ball hard enough and accurate enough to earn a spot on Central's varsity team for four years and become the No. 2 player on Southeast's team as a freshman.

While in high school, Hale, 41, won the district three times as a single player. The district titles were enough to catch the eye of Southeast's program, and Hale was offered scholarships to play there.

His sophomore year was a letdown when Hale dropped to No. 6 because of what he said was burnout from the sport. He transferred to Mizzou and sat out a year before he came back to Southeast to find that the tennis program had been dropped.

Despite the burnout, Hale couldn't stop playing. He went to Paducah, Ky., to play for a recreational team and excelled while at it.

"It was just a bunch of guys and we had a lot of fun," he said.

Hale now works for Midwest Sterilization and plays tennis whenever he gets that chance, even offering lessons in the summer.

He spent four years in the Caruthersville School District teaching art and coaching the girls' team, and followed that by teaching at Meadow Heights.

"I'm not the patient type," he said. "You have to be patient to be a teacher and I wasn't real patient, so I got out of it."

Hale plays tennis twice a week in the summer and once a week in the winter.

"I still enjoy it," he says. "I like playing outdoors better, so the summer is more fun for me."

Hale advises younger players to simply enjoy the game.

"Play for fun, move your feet," he says. "Everybody wants to hit the ball hard, but the key is to keep it accurate. Just get a little better each time."

-- DavidUnterreiner