The Charbonneau Villager Newspaper 2019 June issue Villager newspaper

10 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER June 2019 On the same side of the net Father-son team to compete in Charbonneau /Wilsonville Tennis Tournament F or Charbonneau resident Gary McKenzie and his son, Shawn, participating in the Charbonneau/ Wilsonville Tennis Tournament provides more than just the opportunity to play the sport: it gives the duo time to bond. “It’s a shared interest; it’s different than something like football where we might both watch it or like it, but we both participate in it (tennis),” Shawn said. “It’s been good to have that avenue in our relationship.” The McKenzies plan to compete in the 13th annual Charbonneau/Wilsonville Tennis Tournament — a joint tournament between the Charbonneau Tennis Club and the Wilsonville High School tennis team where all proceeds go toward the girl’s team. The tournament kicks off Thursday, June 27, and continues through the weekend. Finals take place Sunday, June 30. “We work well together and it’s a sport we do in our spare time for fun,” Gary said. “He’s a better tennis player than I am now (but) sometimes I’m a smarter one. He hits the ball harder and everything. If one of us is doing something stupid or we need to do something different, we just talk. It’s father-son so we can give each other a hard time.” And playing together is nothing new for the McKenzies. Gary played recreationally when he was younger and then started playing the sport through the U.S. Tennis Association after college. He never pushed the sport on Shawn, so he was pleasantly surprised when Shawn decided he wanted to take up tennis toward the end of middle school. Before Gary moved to Charbonneau seven years ago, he resided in Lake Oswego and when Shawn was younger, they share fond memories of practicing at the courts at Lakeridge Junior High. Shawn recalls one of the first times he and his dad played tennis competitively together. Just before he started college, they played in a large Oregon tournament that hosted several athletic competitions throughout the summer and they received a silver medal in tennis. “I’ve really been into sports my whole life and wanted to expose them (my kids) to that, which we did, but it was as a coach and actually later on as an administrator,” Gary said. “As a coach and a team member, it was shared experience, but not this level of shared experience. Now as we get older and (he) has a family and other responsibilities, it’s another avenue to spend time together.” Last year, the duo won the consolation at the Charbonneau/Wilsonville Tennis Tournament — they won one match, but lost two matches. “We are competitive, but not the top,” Gary said. “It’s a tough competition.” While both want to win the tournament this year, they simply look forward to being competitive and playing a sport that has brought them PMG PHOTO: CLARA HOWELL closer together. Gary McKenzie, left, and his son Shawn, have been playing tennis together Even Shawn’s son since Shawn was a child. Zachariah, 3, has been my life if I could play tennis rackets and tries to swing showing interest in racket with my grandson,” Gary them,” Shawn said. sports. added. ■ “It would be the highlight of “He already grabs tennis 7 ^ ^[ [f[ fWf W DW 7^ D W WS S^ S ^ ^f f fk k 9 9d d da a ag gb g b 7060 Molalla Bend Rd— ͊ͣ͜͠ǡ͜͜͜ 7060 Bend Point— Rd - $470,000 32185 Molalla East Lake ͊ͥ͡͝ǡ͜͜͜ 32185 East Lake Point - Bumpable ͣ͠͝͝ơ— SOLD 31650 Arbor Glen Loop - $604,900 ͟͢͝͞͡ — SOLD — Ǩ 6KHULH6WDU 503-260-͟͞͡͠Ȁ . @ . ➤ Canby’s Premier Location for Family Fitness 365 S Redwood St. Canby, Or 97018 503-266-6166 Happy Fathers Day 3 Months ONLY $99 No frills pay in full plan, details apply. Exp 6-30-19 www.ClubFitHealth.com

The Charbonneau Villager Newspaper 2019 June issue Villager newspaper | Page 10