Getting the game point Millstoner turns love for tennis into a career BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer SCOTT PILLING staff Susan Kapit, of the Perrineville section of Millstone Township, is the new league coordinator for Brunswick Hills Racquet Club in East Brunswick in Middlesex County. MILLSTONE - Tennis, everyone? Susan Kapit, who has lived in the Perrineville section of Millstone Township for the past 15 years, has turned her passion for the sport into a career. Her motto about the game is not that it's just for a select few, but that it's a social sport everyone can enjoy - maybe even for the rest of their lives - if they would just pick up a racket. Kapit's love for tennis began at the age of 7 when her grandmother bought both her and her brother wooden rackets. With her gift, she began practicing the sport every day and eventually started taking lessons. "I started playing tournaments at the age of 11, and I had my own coach by the age of 13," Kapit said. "I played tournaments throughout New Jersey and New York as a teen, and I played for Sayreville High School." At Sayreville War Memorial High School in Middlesex County, Kapit had a state ranking in the sport. She and her brother, Bob Eisenberger, also made history there as the only brother and sister to have ever played first singles in tennis for the high school at the same time. Kapit ultimately received a scholarship to West Virginia University, Morgantown, to play tennis while attending school there. It wasn't until after she and her husband, Joel, had children, Julie and Trevor, that she actually had to step away from the game for a while. The break didn't last long, however, and by 1994 Kapit hit the courts again. But she soon succumbed to a knee injury and had to temporarily stop playing. Determined to continue playing, Kapit waited until her knee healed, and by 1996 her game was back in full swing. Throughout her tennis career, she has taught the sport to children at day camp and has also given private lessons. She currently plays on three different teams that travel around the state and also serves as captain of two of them. Kapit not only plays tennis every day of the week, but finds herself on the courts more than ever now as a league coordinator for the Brunswick Hills Racquet Club in East Brunswick, Middlesex County. Basically, her job as league coordinator is to get out onto as many courts as she can to compete and socialize with the tennis players. After only two months in the position, she has already started a women's singles team at the club on Thursdays, which began on one court but has now flourished to four. People have also expressed interest in having the club organize a coed doubles team, she said. Tom Cuming, the owner of the Brunswick Hills Racquet Club, said that in its 30 years of existence, the club has never had a league coordinator. According to Cuming, they had been looking for someone personable who was passionate about tennis and could organize the daytime courts. He said the club discovered both qualities in Kapit, who is no stranger to being counted on to get people involved. In her hometown, Kapit is the spokeswoman for her family's synagogue, the Perrineville Jewish Center. She also co-chairs the Fundraising Committee for the Allentown Redbird Marching Band at Allentown High School. Now she is involved in recruiting people to join leagues at the tennis club, assessing their playing skills and making sure they are placed on the appropriate teams according to their playing ability. Her job mostly entails having "to be very dependable, having a lot of patience and having a lot of fun," she said. Kapit said, "If you can wake up and come to work and do something that you're passionate about, it's a good day." While sitting in the club's lounge on a Thursday at 10 a.m. looking out over the courts filled with all different kinds of players, Kapit explained that tennis is a great sport for people of all ages, as it provides exercise, strengthens coordination and concentration, and acts as a source for socialization. "I just love it," she said. "It's something I can do on my own. It's strategy, and it's exercise. You're always thinking on the court." The sport is also one that teaches a lesson, according to Kapit. "You have to be responsible when you play tennis," Kapit said. "You are responsible for what you do on the court. It's not like a basketball team where you can depend on others. In tennis you learn to depend on yourself." Although she enjoys the competitive aspect of the sport, she said people at the club play for all different reasons. "You don't have to be the best," she said. "You just learn to play and to love it, and you can play forever." Looking at her own relationship with the game, Kapit said, "Some women who play here are in their 80s. They come in here in full makeup and full dress, and it's wonderful. That's who I want to be." The Brunswick Hills Racquet Club offers classes for youths at all levels from novice up to tournament, according to Kapit. The junior program is run by Mike Morris. For adults, the club offers leagues, team tennis and various lesson choices, which include private, semiprivate, groups and lesson specials. The club has six tennis courts, locker rooms complete with showers, a full kitchen, a lounge with views of most of the courts and a pro shop with equipment, clothing, footwear and accessories. For more information about the club and its programs, call Susan Kapit at (732) 238-1122.