WE

PLAYED

TENNIS.....


We certainly did, but it is a gross understatement to say that ‘we played tennis’. Looking back to about a half century of involvement with the game, we realize what an important part of our lives tennis has been.

Brita got an early taste of the game in very young days when her father built a rudimentary court at the school where he was teaching and later became the principle of the school district.

I spent my teen years extremely busy with other sports, primarily soccer and hockey. I recall one season playing on about five hockey teams simultaneously, including the boys team (16 years old and younger), the junior team (up to 18), and even the A-team for our club. Then, there was the high school team and a village team in a special local league...Not much time for tennis.

When Brita and I were about 16/17 years old, our athletic club, IFK Tumba, started a tennis club and built its first red clay court. We were both active there, and soon the Billinger/Petterson team started doing pretty well in the mixed doubles club tournaments.

Back then, the tennis seasons were pretty short between April when all the snow was usually gone and September when the days were getting shorter and cooler. Indoor tennis? Well, there were a few facilities in Stockholm, some 20 miles away, but they were usually fully booked and the court fees prohibitive.

Then, in the fifties came the revolution with tennis courts under bubbles, Those facilities grew rapidly all over the country, making tennis a year-around game. Courts were still few compared to the demand, so that even active recreation players could feel lucky if they could play two-three times a week.

Incidentally, our club was pretty active with tournaments and other events for its members, and now and then also invitational tournaments with participants from other local clubs. The nearby town of Södertälje had some good players, among them a 13-14 year old kid who showed a lot of talent. His name? Björn Borg.


COMING TO AMERICA

In 1971, we moved to Raleigh, NC for what was supposed to be a two year assignment with IBM. I was working as a planner in the group which developed the retail store systems. The assignment was extended, and I was transferred to a permanent job situation with the IBM Corporation - and we still live in North Carolina 37 tears later.

As many pages at this web site show, moving from one continent to another was a profound change for the whole family, even though Scandinavia may be the part of Europe where life is similar to everyday life in large parts of USA.

Our ‘tennis life’ took a gigantic step forward when we landed on this side of ‘the Pond’.

I will try to describe it in three different aspects, called

Raleigh Racquet Club

Triangle Software

Tennis - where to?

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