b'O n opposite ends of the same city, around the same period ofteemed Dr. Shelby Torrance who, along with her daughter, Susan Torrance, a Texas the 1980s and 90s, two young men who had never met wereLonghorns star in her day, opened a new world to a young man seeking direction.each struggling to find their places in the worldin school, inIn those days, professional tennis was one of the biggest spectator sports in Amer-their neighborhoods, and even in their own disjointed fami- ica, dominated by larger-than-life characters like John McEnroe and Jimmy Con-lies. Darius Gribble was the only child of a single mom whonors, whose epic rivalries captivated young fans and encouraged them to take up the never missed a 6:30 a.m. day at her government job in thesport. For Darius, the joy began through a process of memorizing the physical dy-defense industry, and just as reliably never missed an after- namics of tennis strokes he watched on television, and then recreating them against noon at the favorite bar of her and her fellow union loyalists. Moms consumption ofthe wall of a vacant apartment buildingvery scientific of course, and exceedingly bourbon-and-sevens was a function of daily budget and the spirit-fueled generosityannoying for tenants of the neighboring building. Eventually, a kid in the neigh-of the watering holes gentlemen patrons. For Darius, Mothers 6:00 p.m. arrivalborhood invited him to try tennis for real, on an actual tennis court, which became usually meant a peaceful evening, and much less so for those after 7:00. an obsession for Darius, as he found confidence with every achievement on-court.Back in the 80s, the term latch-key kids was coined as a way to describe the tens of millions of tweens and teens who were largely self-raised between the hours ofFor both Darius and Ronald, it was the kindness of Corpus Christis tennis commu-4:00 and 6-or-7 p.m., as more mothers than ever were working full-time, and morenity, the patriarch of which was the legendary Bob Mapes, that welcomed them into single-parent families than ever were created in a society with a 50% divorce rate.a family that would nurture their talent for the worlds greatest sport. For neither of Ronald Elizondo fell into that category, raised by his grandmother in one of thethem, however, tennis was not enough to keep them out of trouble and away from the toughest districts of the city. One day, while bicycling around the Al Kruse Tennisdemons that hovered over their daily livesbut the self-respect that tennis brought Center, Ronald was offered a chance to try out tennis by the centers director, the es- into their lives motivated each of them to turn around for the better, for good.92THECOASTALBENDMAGAZINE TheCoastalBend.com'