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Jim and Karen Gasper aren't your run-of-the-mill married couple when it comes to playing tennis.

For many couples, playing a match together on the tennis court can put a serious strain on a relationship. But for the Gaspers, they have turned it into a winning combination.

The Gaspers, who live at Lake of the Forest, were a part of a team that won the United States Tennis Association Mixed Doubles National Tournament in Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 16-19.

Tennis partners and husband and wife team of Jim and Karen Gasper, Bonner Springs, recently helped win a national mixed doubles team title in Tucson, Ariz. They are shown above practicing at KC Racquet Club last week.

Being a married couple that plays tennis is not necessarily unique, but competing as partners is.

"You don't see many married couples playing together," Karen said. "In fact, we didn't see any at this tournament."

While they may have a spat here and there while playing, the combination has worked very well, helping their team advance through the qualifying tournaments. How do they do it?

"People ask me and I tell them I'm a saint. They ask Jim and they say he's lucky to have me," Karen said. "People end up arguing, but I think you are freer to say what's on your mind in the heat of battle. But we've done it so long that it's become second nature. You may see married couples on the same team, but you don't very often see them playing together."

Jim said, "We've played mixed doubles together for six years. We've been to nationals prior to this for three years. Being the captain, I get to scout and watch other players. This year, I did not see any married couples playing together. They may have been on separate courts, but not together.

"We do pretty well as a couple. We enjoy playing tennis together. It's a hobby, something we do as a married couple." Jim added laughing, "But don't get me wrong. She doesn't listen to what I say all the time, because that's just natural."

Jim, who has been playing for around 25 years, played competitively in high school at Maur Hill Prep, then Coffeyville Community College and Baker University. But Karen really just started.

"I was just a social player until about six years ago when Jim got me involved," Karen said. "Social tennis is just as fun, but competitive

tennis, for me, is more of a job. I'm always trying to improve."

And in mixed doubles, the female part of the team is considered to be an integral part of the squad.

"In mixed doubles, I'm playing a guy just as good as me," Jim said. "All of the traffic goes to Karen. So the key in mixed doubles is how the girl can hold up in the heat of battle. That's the difference in mixed doubles, the play of the woman."

The duo was a part of a team that began qualifying for the national tournament in the summer. The team won a local event that qualified them for a sectional tournament in September. They won the Missouri Valley region, which encompasses teams from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa, in September, advancing the squad to the national meet.

The team was one of 10 that qualified for the national tournament at the 9.0 level, one of the highest at the recreation level. They won four matches in pool play which advanced the team to the finals where they defeated a squad from Phoenix, Ariz., 2-1.

"It's something many people strive for and never get the opportunity to do, even get to sectionals, let alone nationals. Nationals is a very rare opportunity for people to get to," Jim said. "This (tournament) is the Super Bowl or World Series of tennis."

Now that they have achieved a national championship, what will they do now?

"We'll play more tennis," Jim said. "This is something we enjoy. We'll probably start all over again next summer. Or we may take a break. We've been trying to get to number one in the nation for six years. Being number one is the ultimate goal."

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