At 8 o’clock the call went off. “Tennis time!”
Here’s what players hear every weekend, every hour between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., when Walter Odom announces the start times for popular pitches at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn. The battle for an hour-long spot (two hours for doubles) at one of the six courts here can be intense, especially on a mild summer Sunday. But the New York City Parks and Recreation tennis waiter, with his present clipboard and resonant voice, managed to reassure everyone, from seasoned tennis pros to seasoned tennis players. beginners make their first blows that problems are under control.
In 2014, Mr. Odom took on a job as a flight attendant for a friend and colleague who was struggling with kidney failure. It took him 20 years to get the gig; one of his previous assignments was overseeing the boardwalk bathrooms in Brighton Beach. Mr Odom, who grew up in Fort Greene and now lives nearby in Bedford Stuyvesant, said: “You have to work your way up to tennis.
This fall, he plans to retire. “When I turned 67, I said I would keep my word to my mother and retire,” Mr. Odom said. “It’s time for me to rest.”
EARLY BIRD I get up early, so I can wake up on my own, packing all the things I need. I leave the house at 5:25 a.m. and wake myself up while mingling. Sometimes I stop by bodega in the morning and they have coffee ready for me. I arrived at the park at 6:15 and my morning team was here. They arrived at the court at dawn. This morning I had someone say, “Hey, tell this guy he has to go. He’s been playing for too long! ” And I said to them, Listen, that doesn’t count. Timekeeping starts at 8 o’clock. If you get out of bed at five o’clock, and sit here in the dark, and wait until morning, you can stay for two hours if you want. They might even take off their shirt afterwards. When 8 o’clock came, they knew they had to get out of court.
CHEAP Growing up in Fort Greene, we had a lot of people from different parts of the south, and lots of Italians, Puerto Ricans, even a few Filipinos. We ran a farm in Fort Greene Park. My mother grew green onions and potatoes, and the Italian showed her how to choose the mushrooms you really want to eat. We shared recipes, everyone shared. Where I grew up, in the ’60s or ’70s, it was like they were all giving up.
ROUTE When I got out of high school, I had a lot of work. I’m not sure what I want to do. So I did a lot of factory work. I worked in the Navy Yard for a minute because they have a factory there. I had to do job after job and finally my brother Stevie told me I had to help take care of my sister and gave me an application for the city. I did my training and then in June 1994 I got my first job at the Parks Department. I was working at Prospect Park, cleaning and fixing the clay on the baseball field. Then I went to Coney Island in ’95 and then in ’96 I went to the Kosciuszko Pool. I had to earn tennis.
RULE Tennis is a sport for men. I have a rule here: no swearing, no spitting. Everyone has to keep their t-shirts. I say to people, “Do you see an advantage? When they wear t-shirts, it’s cotton. They don’t wear gabardine, where it will sweat and they can overheat. “You could pass out with that. You could pass out on the court.
FEMALES When I got off the bus, I saw three or four people sitting on the bench for that first 8 hour period. I told them I would be back and I went for my coffee and snacks and came back at 7:30. By then, a big line is forming. They all saw me go down the hill and they shouted, “Walter!” I try to sneak up on them. When 8 o’clock came, I shouted: “Eight o’clock! Time to play tennis. “The big fun on Sunday came when my managers signed up for slots after 4 p.m. When I’m not here, the tennis players, they sit here. They are the ones who keep an eye on you and everything.
INSPIRATION When Arthur Ashe and John McEnroe get into the scene, suddenly you have more and more Negroes wanting to play tennis. McEnroe, he changed the game. That’s when everyone, all Negroes said, “Did you watch McEnroe? That man, he is no joke. Because everyone said it was boring before, but he let the judges know he’s a New Yorker.
SUPPORT GROUP After 3:30, my day is over. And sometimes it’s hard to get out of the park because it’s not just tennis players; everyone ends up saying, “Hello Walter!” When I got home from work, there was a housing project for the elderly where many people sat at tables outside. Next thing you know, before I do anything, they want to chat. They even asked me if I was afraid to retire. I was a little worried, but one of the women there said, “Walter, there’s still life after retirement. You go, do what you have to, get proper rest and go out and socialize. And then you know what? You will have a perfect day. “
