Judy Weitz Back In Action For Women’s Night Doubles

Wednesday - November 14, 2007
By Jack Danilewicz
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Lanikai's Judy Weitz at Kailua Racquet Club
Lanikai’s Judy Weitz at Kailua Racquet Club. Photo by Nathalie Walker.

It should come as no surprise that Judy Weitz could always deal with the results when it came to her tennis career.After all, the Lanikai resident always made sure she was well-prepared.

“Win or lose, the reward is in knowing that you gave everything you could,” said Weitz. “I paid my dues, I put in the hard work. That is what’s important to me.”

On the subject of tennis, she can sound like someone leaving for the French Open tomorrow rather than one who has been out of the game for the past decade - at least as a participant. Currently an instructor at Kailua Racquet Club, Weitz (known as Judy Springer before marrying) has been giving back to the game and the community since the 1990s, including stints at Maunalua Bay and Punahou School, where she worked full time as the head tennis pro.


This week she gears up to play in the eighth annual Women’s Night Doubles Tournament at the racquet club, her first tournament in more than a decade.

Her memories of a time when tennis defined her existence are vivid and clear.

“My dad was watching the French Open on television in 1984,” she recalled, “and it looked so easy, he said ‘you could do that.’

“I played soccer then and had never even hit a (tennis) ball. It’s funny when I think back on it. He said,‘Let’s move to Hawaii, and you can do tennis or golf.‘I’d never played either.

“My dad used to say, ‘Shoot for the moon, and you catch a star.’”

Soon Weitz and younger brother Keith joined their father to live in Hawaii. They pitched tents at Bellows to save money, and seemingly every moment was taken up with tennis lessons,practice time and tournaments.

“We spent a year-and-a-half camping (on and off) during a three-year period,“said Weitz, who was home-schooled for much of her high school years when not in California. “Eventually he bought me a van, which had a bed in it.”

Judy’s father, Don Paul, had been a member of the Army’s Green Beret Special Forces before receiving a medical discharge following a tragic accident that saw his parachute fail to operate. By that time, he had already long established himself as Judy’s greatest supporter.

“He spent all his money on his kids,” she recalled.“I dedicated my life to tennis because of my dad - I owe him a lot. He was told that he had fallen 1,100 feet at a rate of 55 miles an hour. It was a miracle he could still walk. I definitely have a mentality of getting back up after I’ve been knocked down, and it’s because of him.”

Weitz’s all-consuming approach to the game eventually landed her at Hawaii Pacific University for a year before a stint in Bradenton, Fla., at the prestigious Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.She went on to play professionally from 1989-95 before settling down to raise a family. She and husband Jon married in 1993 and have three children - J.B. (13), Shelby (12) and Beacher (8).


“I’ve taken a long hiatus,” said Weitz, who also teaches an off-court training program as well as a physical education class for home-schooled students. “Tennis had been on the back burner - it’s been very low key,no more than 20 hours a week - but I happened to be at the Kailua Racquet Club, and Bruce (Nagel) asked me if I’d play (in the Nights Doubles Tournament). I’ve been training for four weeks now. I do play every day when I teach, but it is very different. I’ve had to sweep off my rackets. I am fit, so, hopefully, my fitness will pull me through.”

The Women’s Nights Doubles Tournament, sponsored by Lanikai Bed and Bath, is invite-only and will feature 10 doubles teams consisting of some of the top women’s talent in the state. Weitz will be paired with former Hawaii Pacific University standout Dada Joksimovic.

“He’s pulling from the best players - except for me,” she laughed. “I just have to keep it in perspective and remember to have fun. It’s been rewarding to get back out there and hit some good shots. The pressure is off now. I’m doing it for the pure love of it and to help others.”

 

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