Millennium Magazine_5th Ed

260 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine behind him, Mr. Gage prides himself on staying up-to-date on new teaching methods and sports practices. When he began playing, the forehand maneuver’s follow-through was finished with arms in front of you, but now players are taught to follow through all the way. Mr. Gage believes teaching with the most updated techniques is crucial for the development of growing tennis players. The most rewarding part of Mr. Gage’s tennis career is getting to meet so many people, whether they are students or competitors. On top of his natural gift for the sport, Mr. Gage is a reputable teacher. Some of his students have participated in state tournaments, and some of his high school students have gone on to play at the Missouri State Tournament and for colleges. Mr. Gage’s advice to tennis students is to find a knowledgeable teacher and put in the work. The field is wide open if you have the heart and athletic ability. A s popularity in tennis rose, so did Mickey Gage’s interest in the sport. After graduating from high school, Mr. Gage took on tennis as a way to be healthy and competitive. He began taking lessons and playing seriously after a tennis professional expressed the potential he saw in him. Between 1989 and 2015, Mr. Gage vacationed at Hilton Head Island, where he worked with professionals at the Dennis VanDerMeer Tennis Facility, fostering his natural ability to become a passionate tennis player. Mr. Gage was a member of the Missouri Army National Guard from 1966 to 1973 and then had a career as a locomotive engineer for more than 30 years. Once he retired in 2006, Mr. Gage was able to put all his focus on tennis, and since 2010, he has been a tennis instructor at the Jefferson City Area YMCA. Mr. Gage is a member of the United States Tennis Association and the Professional Tennis Registry. For his excellence in the sport, Mr. Gage won the National State Games of America in 1998 and he was ranked number one in Missouri Valley in 2011, 2012 and 2014. With nearly 45 years of tennis experience MICKEY GAGE TENNIS PROFESSIONAL Firley YMCA Jefferson City, MO HOSPITALITY AND LEISURE