September Captains of the Month
It's time to celebrate our September Captains of the Month! This month’s JTT Captain of the Month is David Keen. Keen, a resident of Mathiston, MS, is a man of many talents and interests. He has been married to his wife, Kim, for 40 years and together they have two grown, married daughters named Lindsey (Jared) and Laney (Justin). They are also blessed with 11 grandchildren. David serves as the Pastor of Clarkson Baptist Church and has been a JTT captain for the last 3 years working with the age 12 and under kids of Webster County. He loves seeing young talent and helping them have the confidence to develop it. David stumbled upon the opportunity to work with the kids accidentally when he overheard a man named Rob Turner talking behind him about helping young tennis players and needing volunteers. One thing led to another and he was able to volunteer and start working with the kids. David has been playing tennis for over 50 years and has always loved it, even back in the wooden racquet days. His favorite professional players have been Jimmy Connors and now it’s the cool, smooth Roger Federer
This months Adult League Captain of the month is DaLisa Neal. Neal, a resident of Nettleton, Mississippi, started playing league tennis in 2007 after watching her son play a high school match at the Rob Leake Tennis Courts in Tupelo. She was inspired by the women who played matches after the high school teams finished. After losing almost 30 pounds, she decided to give it a try and convinced her daughter, Kelli, to play with her. They were taken in by Leslie Stewart and Kristen Turner and won the league that fall. DaLisa and Kelli went on to play in the state tournament in Jackson, where they won one match out of three. DaLisa was hooked and captaining duties fell into her lap. She has learned to keep a notebook of her players’ availability to schedule matches and always asks players if they are available to play at state tournaments. DaLisa has met many people playing league tennis and at state tournaments and has gotten a lot of her family involved. Tennis is a sport that brings people together and creates lasting memories, and DaLisa’s journey is a testament to that.
