Gina Dell
Gina Dell, originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, moved to Gainesville in 1993 for her PhD at the University of Florida after completing her bachelor's and master's education at Penn State. After graduation, she became a licensed Mental Health Counselor.
As long as Dell, 56, could remember, she has always been a sports enthusiast. She began playing sports at a young age and played competitive tennis from 4 to 10 years old.
At about 10, Dell said she started having an interest in playing team sports like basketball. At Penn State’s Schuylkill campus, she played volleyball, basketball, and softball. After moving to Penn State’s main campus, she continued her love of sports by playing club ball.
“You need those mental breaks, if I was writing my dissertation and wouldn’t take the time to be active, I wouldn’t have the motivation to write.”
Even during the years she hadn’t picked up a racket, Dell continued to be as active as possible. She took up running and began participating in half marathons to get through the stress of her mom being ill at the time, she said.
Dell never lost her passion for tennis. As a young child, she remembers playing on a few courts down from where her mother was playing. Watching her mother play was inspiring, and she hoped one day she would get to play on the court with her, Dell said.
“When my mom passed away in 2010, I made a promise to myself that I was going to get back on that court. I started taking lessons and before I knew it the passion was back. That passion has only grown over the past 13 years.”
Dell joined the United States Tennis Association in 2016 at 49 years old.
“It was one of the best decisions I made,” Dell said. “I felt stronger physically with each clinic I took and every match I played. Mentally, it helped me cope with my mom’s passing and it enabled me to grow my social group forming a tennis family.”
It is never too late to start a sport. Dell said she believes one has to listen to their body. And anyone can learn to play a sport if they have the passion and drive to start. The benefits of playing and being active cannot be understated. It may have taken Dell 39 years to pick up a racket again, but, since then, she has taken her love for tennis to the next level mentoring young women as a high school tennis coach.
