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Show Sporfstacular October 'mo b arinfaoF ffoc 18, 1979 Page 9 Fttagfef; ) r by Keith Duncan Tennis enthusiasm has mushroomed throughout the Ogden area over the past five years and with families like the Foughts of North Ogden, dont look for it to die. Mr. and Mrs. James P. Fought of 1043 E. 425 North are the parents of two promising tennis greats, Rick, who attends BYU, and Rob, now a junior at Ben Lomond High. With every match they play the Fought name only becomes more familiar. And the recognition most would say, is well worth every minute after the many long years of constant concentration and practice. With the enthusiasm that Mr. Fought and his sons have generated with the sport others in the Ogden area have joined the bandwagon. This pleases me more than anything else, said Mr. Fought last Friday at the Ogden Racquet Club North, others have seen what tennis has done for our family and immediately they want something similar in theirs. Naturally the sport benefits. Rick, a sophomore at Brigham Young, presently ranks as one of the top three players at the school and notably is one of the only team members from Utah. Rob played in the finals for the singles championship tennis for Utah' last season as a sophomore. Hes of a good bet to capture the title this coming season. Fought feels that tennis may have peaked on the national scene but locally the sport still may be two or three years behind. One of the really difficult things about tennis is that its hard to learn. Youre hitting a moving ball with a coordination must be moving racquet where hand-ey- e developed. But still many people continue to become good and begin to enjoy themselves at the sport. On the negative side I see too many people giving up too soon where said ' enthusiasm was terrific in the beginning, something they thoroughly enjoyed doing. Risk Going to BYU was a risk for Rick going to BYU, said it Perhaps Fought. The Cougars really dont look for talent from Utah, they go to California and such other places. He was a darkhorse to even make the team. Hes improved a lot. This past summer Rob claimed the Intermountain sectional championship which included five surrounding states and Utah itself. Recently Rob lost in a surprisingly close match to the No. 1 junior player in the U.S. at the National Championships in Michigan. When Mr. Fought was in New York in September, the chairman of the Junior Council of Tennis reported to him it was the best match of the tournament. Over 3,000 people watched the contest. Rick, the oldest, won the Southwest Idaho Championships over the last Memorial Day weekend. He recently claimed first place in a Wyoming tournament in which he defeated Jim Greenburg, a former from the University of Utah in the finals. Rick thought that was the win of his life, said Mr. Fought. Rick claimed first place in Mens Open tournaments in Fort Collins, Colorado and in Sun Valley, Idaho. At Ben Lomond High, Rick was defeated by Jeff Robins in the finals for the state championship. Needless to say the two brothers have taken their share of titles recently. Both Rick and Rob have fortunately shyed away from serious injuries, for which their parents are 3-- A , , ' ' . Fought. Fought, grateful. Roxanne Fought is the only daughter in the family and she, like her parents, competes socially in tennis. She presently attends Highland Junior High and is very Club. active in the 4-- H Tennis a Part of Life Tennis with all its thrills at tournament times, the travels to surrounding cities and states has been as much a part of the family life as anything else. Presently Mr. Fought is active in Northern Utah tennis promotions' and is a past president of the Intermountain Tennis Association. As far as owning his own tennis club someday, Mr. Fought isnt sure. These places arent really out to make money. In fact we are very fortunate to have two facilities like the Ogden Racquet Club in Ogden, he said. The cost to keep one of these open is greater than what most people imagine. Heating and other costs are out of sight. Mr. Fought feels that cities with strong recreation programs, with tennis included, usually have high schools with strong and competitive programs. Of course the costs have to be considered, said Fought. Fought, at least when his sons are playing, admits the sport is very nerve-rackinTrying to sit there in the stands and keep your composure when your sons are playing is the hardest thing in the world to do, he noted. Luckily Ive been able to do it, but Ive known parents with kids who play who honestly get sick when their kids play. Youve got to keep your composure and you live with every hit. If anyone was responsible for Rick and Robs success, it has to be A1 Johnson. I dont know of any tennis instructor who teaches kids more in a single tennis lesson. Ogden is very lucky to have him, said Fought. Johnson is a free-styl- e skiier who teaches tennis also. Rob, who was available at the North Club last Friday stated, Tennis has done a lot for our family. I try to spend at least two hours a day practicing and probably more in the summer. I have to credit my dad, my brother and A Johnson for my success. Fought admits that his two sons play different styles of tennis, but both styles have been the best for them. instructs history at Clearfield High School, felt that for many years particularly in school systems, people have been encouraged to become spectators instead of participants. Tennis is something people can get involved with and can finally quit the spectating. The sport is demanding like any other sport and if you expect to be good youve got to play year round and sacrifice other - things, who he said. Tennis Family Youd probably call our family, a tennis family, said Fought. Mr. Fought was never a Wimbledon star but he enjoyed himself in local parks. In the late 60s, the family was one of the first 25 families to join the Mount Eyrie Racquet Club. Many people who dont know the sport of tennis will never realize the hundreds of hours that Rick and Rob put into their games as practice. There were weeks where both of them were up at 5:30 a.m. and playing till 7, said Fought. Fought admits that the sport is expensive if a persons desire is to be better than average. The thing that is expensive to me is to neglect your children and not provide them something that they can ' achieve and excell with. - . g. Skiing is expensive, anything is. We certainly dont regret anything weve done for the kids. But the sport isnt cheap, said Fought. But dont let what Ive just said discourage anyone. With a cheap racquet and a pair of tennis shoes the sport can be just as fun to others, he said. I told my wife 10 years ago when we joined this club that it was going to be great. I told her how inexpensive it was going to be ($8 a month, 50 cents for group lessons) . Today thats different, but what its done for our family is what counts, said Fought. Fought felt his sons, Rick and Rob, were by no means budding young tennis stars of America. That would be very difficult to happen here in Utah, he said. The father insisted however that they had fun at another son of Mr. and Mrs. Fought of North Ogden, attends Ben Lomond High where he was the team's top player and eventually went to the state tennis finals as only a ROB FOUCHT, sophomore. |