L to R: Beth Blanton, Linda Dues, Pearl Lightner, Margie Lee and Elie Pace
• Also online: View a slideshow of Love 40 members in action
Most of them have been playing on the same tennis courts at McCree Park in Lake Highlands twice a week for the past 35 years. “You can imagine we have had some drop out and have added others. A few of us have been there the whole time,” Elie Pace says. In the early years, many of the women played in a competitive league at Samuell Grand park in East Dallas, sometimes playing tennis as many as five nights a week. “We started a group out of Samuell Grand called Love 40 because we didn’t want to compete with the younger, more rabid players,” Pace says. “As time went on, we wanted to stay closer to home.” Summer’s heat can be challenging for the members, who are all in their 70s and 80s. “This is the first summer that we have had to drop to one court. The heat and humidity have gotten to several of us. Generally there are two courts of eight women,” Pace says. She adds that the group is always open to new participants. “Because of our age, getting subs is becoming a problem so we are always looking for someone to complement our group. A sub can play pretty often, but until someone drops out, they will only be a sub.”
