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Blanche Badenhorst
Blanche Badenhorst was born and raised in South Africa. She was introduced to tennis by her father who cut down one of his racquets and told her to find an available wall to practice! By the age of 11, Blanche was playing competitive tennis. She won the Under 14s, and later the Under 16s, Transvaal championships. Blanche moved to Toronto in the 1950s and married. Later her husband was transferred to Hamilton, so Blanche became involved in that area's tennis activities.
Blanche was very involved in OTA programs and played in the leagues. She was the first Chair of the South West Regional Committee. In this role, she championed the availability of good tennis instruction, organized competition for all levels of players, and tennis in the schools. She became a certified coach and spent most of her life teaching tennis to beginners, especially juniors. When Mohawk College advertised for a professional, she applied, somewhat reluctantly, and was offered the job. Here she organized lessons and ran several high quality tennis teams. Even though her time at Mohawk College ended in the 1990s, she still loves organizing tennis for others.
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