John was first exposed to tennis by big sis Ann Smith who
is also an excellent WVTC tennis player. Ann passed along what she was
learning to John through drills and demonstrations. In fact, in addition
to Ann, John's brother and his other sister Lorraine Strong, his brother-in-law
Amos Strong, and the Strong sons all played tennis competing together in tournaments over the years.
(John's nephew Chris Strong is another of the WVTC tennis
instructors).
John continued his tennis career by
taking lessons from Curtis Williams who saw a lot of potential in this young
teenager. (Curtis Williams who was inducted into Indiana State
University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, in 1975 was the first player from ISU
to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship.)
In college John won
the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) regionals which
qualified him at the #1 singles spot for the national competition.
Many students coached by John have
played varsity singles and doubles on both Terre Haute North and Terre Haute
South high schools.
