Maintaining a relationship is no easy task, with many sacrifices and hardships along the way. For Norma and Richard Iskenderian, it has been the sacrifices they’ve made for each other that have brought them closer both in life and on the tennis court.

Before tennis, it was their shared passions as young professionals that intertwined their lives. Both had long-lasting careers in the automotive industry, and it was through work that the couple happened to meet. For several years, Norma operated a street supercharging company as a general manager, while Richard enjoyed a successful career at the helm of a company that manufactures racing cams.

“We first met through business and didn’t know that we were both single,” shared Norma. “This was until one day I asked if his wife would mind him talking to me until seven o’clock at night. To my surprise, he told me that he wasn’t married. I told him that I wasn’t married either and our relationship basically started from that point on.”

While Norma resided in Whittier and Richard in Torrance, the two began to see each other at a young age, but did not get married until later in life. “Richard was a workaholic because he wasn’t married at the time, so we didn’t get married until I was 49 and he was 48,” recalled Norma. 

Now 75 and 74 years old respectively, the Iskenderians are savoring a fulfilling life filled with work, tennis, and quality time together. Both still working to this day, Norma has transitioned into a human resources role within Richard’s company, Isky Cams. An extremely successful racing cams company, Richard has put tireless efforts into maintaining the quality of the business turned over to him from his father, Ed. The world’s largest racing, performance, and economy cam manufacturer, Isky Cams has made waves and broken barriers in the racing world for years on end. The now 102 year old racing pioneer, Ed is able to watch his legacy be lived on through both Richard and Norma.

While still working constantly, Richard and Norma’s shared love of tennis has been a light in their life. “It was Richard that loved tennis and I had played in high school, so it became a sport we could do together when we met,” Norma added. “I love the mental aspect of the game and Richard loves the competition, but we both love the friendships we develop along the way.” 

Competing regularly in Women’s 65 and Over leagues in Beach Cities, Norma has been extremely active on the court and as a captain. As her teams were very successful in local tournaments, there had been one thing that was always on Norma’s mind, a trip back to USTA Nationals. Norma set a clear goal for her ladies to reach the grand stage once again in 2024 and worked tirelessly to prepare for their matches leading up to Sectionals with the common goal in mind. 

Looking to make a splash this year at 2024 USTA Nationals, there was a glaring issue for Norma’s ladies. There was no team for them to compete against in their league. With no opposition, Norma knew that her likelihood of attending Nationals was slim as the options of possible opponents kept dwindling.

“We were told that we had to find another team to play against us or we wouldn’t be able to qualify for Nationals,” mentioned Norma. “After going to many of the ladies in our area and asking if they were interested in playing, we realized that the margin of 65 and Over ladies was really smaller than we thought as many were occupied with their lives and couldn’t commit at the time. As days kept passing, it got to a point where we sat down and realized that we likely had no team to play against.”

All hope had seemed to be lost for Norma, until a familiar face decided that he would lead a team to compete against her. Stepping up to the challenge to captain and face off against Norma’s team would be none other than her husband. An experienced tennis player and former captain in his own right, Richard tackled the challenge to ensure that his wife would have the opportunity to advance to Nationals.

“In the past, I’ve captained mens’ teams and co-captained mixed teams while also helping Norma if she wasn’t available to captain her own teams,” Richard said. “Thanks to Norma, I had an understanding for captaining ladies’ teams so I felt very comfortable with the process going into this. I honestly didn’t really want to create a team at first because I knew that I just couldn’t beat Norma. She always has the strongest team and I knew that if she had her best players out on the court, it was going to be very difficult to beat them.” 

Although he was not sure if he would be victorious, Richard decided to make this sacrifice to support his wife. Richard understood how important it was for Norma to have the opportunity to qualify for Nationals and helped make the best out of an unfortunate situation. 

Captaining two separate teams in the same household became an interesting task for the two, as they both worked diligently to keep secrets about lineups and active players hidden from one another. 

“It’s difficult to have two captains in a household of the same league. At times, we had to take our phone calls outside or in a separate room. We couldn’t leave any paperwork out in the chance of the other seeing,” shared Norma. “Many people thought that we would be sharing lineups during the week, but we were very careful in disclosing information,” added Richard.

While this was a new challenge for both of them, it brought the two closer together both on and off the court. After much anticipation, the match was finally set, as Norma and Richard’s teams faced off. With eight matches being played, the race to win five was on, and Norma’s team secured an early 2-0 lead. Fighting back, Richard’s squad picked up their first win before trading wins back and forth to bring the score to 3-2 in the favor of Norma. Claiming their fourth win in the following match, Norma could taste victory. Not holding back, her squad kept their foot on the gas, picking up their fifth win of the day securing victory for Norma. With this win, Norma’s team had qualified for Sectionals, providing them with the opportunity to compete against the best 65 and Over Teams in the section.

“They won it fair and square,” Richard stated. “I felt good going three and five and I had a lot of fun throughout the process. It was a great experience and it was so amazing watching Norma.”

After qualifying for Sectionals, Norma and her ladies proved why they were deserving of a bid, taking down the competition in November and officially earning a spot at Nationals.

“The victory meant a lot to us,” Norma mentioned. “We had a lot of ladies that couldn’t make it due to personal reasons so others stepped up for them. We had to use a lot of different combinations this time to win and the victory was wonderful.” “My goal was for someone to be represented from our area at Nationals so I was very happy with the outcome,” Richard added.

While both captains faced difficulties throughout the process, the perseverance of everyone involved made everything worth it. Players on both teams knew how important a Nationals berth meant to the Iskenderians and pushed their bodies to the limits while competing at an extremely high level. 

“One of my players was so dedicated that she played all of her matches even with a cast on her left hand,” stated Norma. “She didn’t lose a match throughout the entire Sectionals tournament. I have some people on my team that really are my heroes. Some of these ladies are nearing their eighties and are still winning all of their matches while playing on my Eighteen and Over teams.” 

This past January, both Norma and Richard made the trip to Surprise, Arizona to attend 2024 USTA Nationals. With her husband rooting her on, Norma’s team had a very impressive showing, finishing in sixth place out of seventeen total teams competing. On top of that finish, Norma’s squad was third in overall games won in addition to tied for fourth in overall sets won. While the events leading up to Nationals were not how either of them envisioned, the Iskenderians could not have asked for a more enjoyable time on and off the court.

Celebrating another Valentine’s Day in each other’s company, the Iskenderians are looking forward to enjoying the day like they have done for many years, by enjoying a nice dinner out on the town together.