JUPITER, FL - One thing was missing from Charles "Whitey" Joslin's long and distinguished tennis career that includes induction into the USTA New England Hall of Fame.
But that has all changed now.
After coming close on several occasions and on all surfaces, Whitey and daughter, Laura Joslin-King, finally took home a coveted "Gold Ball" by winning the USTA National Super Senior Father/Daughter Clay Court Championships at the Jupiter Ocean Tennis Club, a venue which Whitey calls his "Bermuda Triangle."
"We had been so close at other times, and then to win the gold playing back at Jupiter after what had happened there…was just great," Whitey said.
Five years ago, in Jupiter, after playing the USTA National Senior Father/Daughter Clay Court Championships with his daughter Laura, Whitey suffered a heart attack and spent a month in the Jupiter area recovering from 6-way bypass surgery.
"It was something I’ve wanted for a long time," said Laura, who, along with her dad, runs the family business, New London-N.H.-based Mountainside Racquet and Fitness Center, "After the last point, I really hadn’t realized that we had won. I was so focused on every point. We had some memories there and not all were good. We really didn’t think (Whitey) was going to survive the heart attack, so to get the win there several years later was really special."
When reality set in, the win’s true meaning came to light.
This was a special occasion for the entire Joslin family, including Whitey’s wife Sue (whose CPR and nursing training saved his life way back then) and Laura’s husband, Richard, who were watching from the sidelines.
"I looked over at Laura and she was crying tears of joy, saying ‘We did it, we did it, I love you Poppy!," said Whitey, who started competing in tennis in his childhood days at his parents’ summer boys' camp, and played a few NELTA junior tournaments.
The Joslins, both New Hampshire residents, learned that good news travels fast, especially in the tight-knit New England tennis community.
"It‘s amazing, all the people who have offered us congratulations based on what was nothing more than word of mouth after we won," said Whitey, an Air Force veteran who he carried his racquets wherever he flew.
In reflection, Whitey mused, "I guess God - and Sue and the doctors at Palm Beach Gardens - gave me time to reach this latest ‘highlight’ in my tennis career. It’s neat to be able to work and play with my daughter, let alone be successful in doing so.
"Where do we go from here? I’ll continue to compete in New England and National Super Senior events, and Laura and I will continue to play the National Father/Daughter Doubles circuit. Maybe we can get another gold when I get into the 'Ultra Senior' age bracket…if I live that long!"