FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – The 4.0 Adult Men\u2019s Tennis Team Loera\/Seale has earned a spot at the USTA League National Championships after qualifying in the Midwest Sectional Championship.<\/p>\n
The team competes in the adult 18 and over 4.0 league, practicing weekly at Swinney Park.<\/p>\n
Team co-captain Luis Loera\u2019s journey with tennis began in the sixth grade, as he decided to play because his friends were playing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI joined the junior high tennis team because my friends were playing in it,\u201d Loera said.<\/p>\n
And he hasn\u2019t stopped since, as he says he\u2019s \u201cstill the only one still playing it\u201d from that initial group.<\/p>\n
After college, Loera joined the United States Tennis Association Men\u2019s League. Nearly three decades later, he stands as the co-captain and leader of the Swinney Park team. <\/p>\n
A role he says fuels his enduring passion for the sport. <\/p>\n
\u201cTennis is one of those sports that have been known to be a sport of a lifetime, you can play it at any age, even tournaments for 80, 90-year-old people playing still.\u201d <\/p>\n
The league, he mentions, is a way to bring together men of all ages who share a common love for tennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a variety of ages in there, so it\u2019s good to hang out with younger people and older people and just experience life in different aspects.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, Loera and his team achieved the Five State Midwest Section Championship after winning at the local and state levels.<\/p>\n
Now, they are gearing up to compete at the 4.0 National Championship<\/a> in California this weekend. <\/p>\n Co-captain Ryan Seale, already at the competition, says he\u2019s excited to compete with his team.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just wanna give ourselves a chance, but we\u2019re very excited to be here, but we\u2019d be excited if we did well,\u201d Seale said.<\/p>\n