Blair Henley / Thursday, November 21, 2013
It’s easy to believe Zina Garrison when she tells you she’s an introvert. Soft-spoken and thoughtful, it takes the former world No. 4 some time to warm up, even when the spotlight is pointed squarely in her direction. So it might seem strange that she threw a star-studded birthday bash in Houston to celebrate her 50th birthday on Saturday night – until you realize that the bash doubled as a fundraiser for the Zina Garrison Tennis Academy. In the 20 years since its inception, the Academy has touched the lives of over 25,000 underserved youth in the Houston area. Impressive, right? And we’re not the only ones who think so. Billie Jean King, Pam Shriver, Chanda Rubin, Taylor Townsend and Jackie Joyner-Kersee were just some of the big names in attendance.
We were there as they spoke about their relationship with Garrison and discussed the importance of programs like hers. Of course, there were also some lighter moments. Shriver reminisced about her Olympic experience in 1988 (she thought the rowers were “awesomely attractive”), while Rubin explained that running the Houston Bayou with Garrison could “put some hair on your legs.” The highlight of the night was listening to King speak about her friendship with Garrison, the future of American tennis and her thoughts on being back in Houston 40 years after her legendary “Battle of the Sexes” showdown with Bobby Riggs at the Astrodome. See those interviews and more by clicking on the video above.