Unlike many sports, tennis is unique in the way that it can be learned and played competitively at any stage of someone’s life. In a journey that began later than most, now Southern California resident Wayne West has found comfort in the sport that has provided him with opportunities to remain active, meet friends, compete, and now lead a team. During his time playing in Southern California, Wayne has become an exemplary representation of the section’s inclusivity and promotion of the sport. This month, USTA Southern California is delighted to celebrate Wayne West as the recipient of the League Captain award for his outstanding contributions.

Growing up in Newark, Ohio, tennis didn’t enjoy the same spotlight as football and baseball. It was not until high school when Wayne first heard about tennis, and then many years later when he uncovered his passion of playing the sport. In 1986, Wayne picked up his life and moved to Southern California, where he found the state that he still calls home to this day. In 1991, not thinking much about tennis at the time, Wayne was introduced by his then roommate who had played in college and was looking for a hitting partner. A quick hitting session turned out to be fruitful for both, who played on and off together for around a decade, even joining and placing in USTA tournaments at the 2.5 level. The year of 2003 would be a monumental one for Wayne, who relocated to Rialto and after stepping away from the sport for a few years, asked a few coworkers if he could join them on the courts when overhearing them talking about hitting. This conversation led to more than two decades of continuous involvement in the sport, marking a significant chapter in Wayne’s life.

“We ended up discovering Day Creek Park in Rancho Cucamonga and would play almost every evening as well as on Saturday and Sunday mornings,” Wayne reminisced. “Working in downtown Los Angeles everyday made it impossible to play on a regular basis, but we found ways to make it work, sometimes arriving as early as 5 am. This was until the City of Rancho realized their lights could turn on that early, and they cut it to 6 am.” 

Sticking to traditions, Wayne has remained at Day Creek ever since, and has even stayed true to his early morning sessions at 6 am. Through playing at the park, he was provided multiple opportunities by hitting mates to join leagues within USTA Southern California. One league led to another, and ultimately, Wayne found himself taking over a team of his own in 2022 as a captain. Now known as the Misfits, Wayne’s teams are represented through the variety of backgrounds among his teammates. 

“Over the years, we’ve built a very large tennis following at the Day Creek Park. We now have a Northside and Southside group of over 20 players each, with the Southside group playing daily 6am. One of the players brought on by another player asked if I could join a mixed doubles team out of Andulka. I told him that I wasn’t interested in league play, but he bribed me by paying for my membership and by league dues for that season. The following season, the leader of the Southside group asked if I could join their mixed and then a Tri-Level team, which at the time were all new terms to me. I then took over the men’s 3.5 team out of Andulka when the captain needed help. This was until we had too many players out of the area that weren’t members, so we had to find a new home, which ended up being San Sevaine in Fontana. Captaining the team, our name started out as the Island of Misfit Tennis Players, based on Island of Misfit Toys. Over the last two years, it’s been reduced to Misfits, with the Misfits 3.5 and Misfits 4.0. The name seemed appropriate as we all had different game play and literally different backgrounds between race and ages. Since 2022 I’ve met some wonderful players in so many areas, with a few of them having also joined our teams, thus bringing even more meaning to the name, Misfits.” 

While captaining was not something Wayne envisioned himself doing when he first started playing tennis and even when he first joined leagues, it has become one of his most memorable experiences. Throughout captaining, Wayne has learned what it takes to not only lead a team, but to steer them in the right direction in how they behave. While it may seem like an individualized role, Wayne has learned how it is always a communal effort, taking input from his players whenever he can. Learning from other players and captains has been pivotal in Wayne’s success, and has been the thing he loves most about leagues, along with building relationships with his “misfits” that surround him. 

“Captaining is not what you think it might be, it is a commitment. You work hard, help develop players and collaborate with opposing personalities, which helps bring out the best in everyone,” Wayne stated. “You don’t, however, do this job alone. I have found that it is important to ask your team for their input as well, as it is not a hard line of either my way or no way at all.  Rather, it is, what can I do to get the best out of you. I have learned that not all my decisions are going to be right. You may dwell on them, but the team knows it was all so helpful and that there’s another season down the road. There is always something to work towards.” 

New to the position, rules and regulations were intimidating for Wayne, but not enough to push him away from the opportunity. Working overtime to better his knowledge both of tennis and captaincy, Wayne has crafted his skills learning from both his play on court and the play of others. In the construction of his teams, Wayne has always emphasized playing with character among all. 

“At first, there were a lot of rules to understand,” Wayne added. “I quickly noticed how some captains leveraged the rules to their benefit, while others are like me in the way they manage their teams. We want to play, have fun and win, but with sportsmanship. 

Working as a real-estate investor, the now 59 year-old always finds time for tennis, as the courts have become his second home. The reason that Wayne loves what he does is because of the people he surrounds himself with, that being his teammates and especially his husband Rudy. 

“We have some unique and hilarious personalities on the team that keep us laughing and pissed off all at the same time. It only builds character and makes us better,” Wayne shared. “The one that’s most important to me in all of this is my husband, Rudy.  Without his patience, having me miss some of our weekends and sometimes miss weeknight dinners when we have sectionals practice, none of this would be possible.”

Looking to the future, one goal still sticks out for Wayne, a Sectionals championship. Having had his teams reach Sectionals in the past, the Misfits have not been able to get the job done, losing earlier than the players would have hoped. With a year and a half of experience, lessons learned and memories made, Wayne is ready for his teams to take that next step and bring the hardware home for the Inland Empire’s section. 

“Misfits 3.5 has made Sectionals twice, but has lost in the semifinals both times. Our team really wants the win,” Wayne stated. “Now, with us having Misfits 3.5 and 4.0, it would be to have that opportunity for both at the same time.”